


The Hardest Secrets

by TwilightMaster15



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family, Forgiveness, L knows about Shinigami Eyes, Light panics, Lovers to Enemies to Friends, M/M, Post Mpreg, Protectiveness, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightMaster15/pseuds/TwilightMaster15
Summary: L had had a very interesting surprise when he discovered the result of an intimate moment after allowing himself to be vulnerable around someone he had fallen for. After being betrayed by B, L swore he would raise their daughter and never love again.But with the Kira case requiring him in Japan face to face, he finds himself beginning to fall for his prime suspect and really wishing he didn't have a thing for potential serial killers. He also needs to hide his young child from the task force to keep her safe since he doesn't trust anyone except for Watari to take care of her or know she exists.He quickly realizes keeping an extremely intelligent and curious toddler hidden from a task force and his prime suspect will prove easier said than done, especially when he needs to stay close to Light and fight those blossoming feelings he vowed to never feel again, which only grow more painful when his ex is suddenly thrown back into his life.
Relationships: Beyond Birthday/L, L/Yagami Light
Comments: 44
Kudos: 135





	1. Chapter 1

After looking for months and months, fearing B was dead, L finally found him, only to find out the man he had loved had pretended to be him and went on a murder spree, having planned to die just to one-up L and get revenge.

L cursed, looking down at the bulge that was his stomach. For months, he had been looking for B, because he needed help, desperately. He didn't know how it had happened, and it bothered him to this day how he ended up in a situation with a child growing in his stomach. Then he had been called for this LA murder case, and he had decided to solve that to take a break. He hadn't expected _this_ to lead him to his obviously now ex-boyfriend.

Watari came in, "L, are you okay?" L looked up wearily, one hand on his stomach,

"I'm nine months pregnant with Beyond Birthday's child," using his former lover's newfound alias brought a bad taste to his mouth, "And I can't even ask him at the moment _how_ this happened. That's assuming _he_ knows. No, I am not okay."

A small, dark part of his brain that selfishly wanted to keep his baby all to himself was glad B wasn't going to be a part of their child's life. But the rational part of his brain knew he needed a partner to take care of the baby because he was in no place mentally where he could take care of a kid. At least he had Watari.

How had he been so _foolish_? This situation, in hindsight, was all his fault because even if B initiated it, he could have refused. But he had just wanted to feel again, to be seen as more than a sentient computer, something that hadn't happened since he was a child—though what he and B did was far from a child's game.

But then A died, and B vanished. L had been saddened by A's death and B's disappearance but had decided to give B some space since he and A had been close.

Then the months passed, and the sickness came.

It had taken much longer than he would like to admit to realize what was wrong with him, but once he did, he had not been sure how to feel. What he did know was that since he only caught it when he was in the second trimester—when he started to show and realized this wasn't just some stomach virus—the baby had been alive. It would be murder to terminate the child's life.

So, he let his belly grow with the life inside and realized that B had a right to know he was going to be a father. That and B would hopefully know what to do with a baby. Seeing as L lived with Watari, who had founded an orphanage, he had hope that on the off chance that he hadn't found B before the baby was born, Watari would be able to take care of the child.

But now that B was permanently out of the picture, what the hell was he going to do? The baby was due any day now, and now he was going to be a single parent with only his adopted father for help. At least he was loaded. 

Watari brought him food, and honestly, L loved his father figure with all his heart, and this was the icing on the cake—literally. Both of them were confused out of their minds, but Watari had been by his side through this. He didn't usually get into all that sentimental stuff, but hormones were making that standard very hard to keep.

L laid down, trying to truly wrap his head around the betrayal from the one person he had allowed himself to love like that, and he knew now that he would never let himself fall in love again. Been there, done that, his heart was broken. Normally, he would grieve what could have been in perfect, stoic silence, but his hormones made him shed tears.

But... this was good. Better that B betray him _before_ the baby was born, so their child would never need to know. That was what logic dictated. It was the truth, and he couldn't let his own feelings get in the way of what was right for _his_ child. 

Once again, his mind wandered. He knew B's action had been because B blamed him for A's death, but would he have done this if he had known a child had been conceived that one night all those months ago?

He hugged a pillow, feeling the baby wriggling around inside. He didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl. He hoped it was a boy because he had no idea what he would do with a girl—they were an entirely different species to him, and he would have even less of an idea on how to do this. That and the idea of a girl with B's natural looks and the personality of either parent was a scary thought.

What if their baby had those eyes B had mentioned having, that showed him names and numbers? L didn't doubt that B had found out what that power was, and it was partially to blame for driving him mad. L didn't want his baby to suffer through that. Then again, L had put so much work into growing new bones, and this damn infant was stealing them out from under him. What did that have to do with anything? Hormones were weird.

He wasn't sure how long he just laid in bed, thinking and wondering what life would be like with a baby and no hope of having the father in their lives. But he did know it was late at night when he felt a jolting pain severe enough to push the pain he had been experiencing from the back of his mind to the front. He had been having false contractions for weeks now, and it wasn't enjoyable and threw off his deductive abilities by a considerable margin.

Watari had already made a doctor sign a contract saying revealing anything about L's condition would be considered treason, so he could have a c-section. Which was good since L wasn't even sure he would physically be able to give birth.

He took a deep breath, he was getting ahead of himself. A real contraction has to last one minute from start to finish. The rule was 5-1-1. Five minutes apart, lasting for one minute, for an hour. He looked at the digital clock next to him to see if that applied. But he grew bored after a moment and forced himself to get up and hobble to the tray of food. Braxton Hicks were able to be identified if they went away after eating. Well, he was hungry anyway, this was just an excuse to go get food.

Five minutes passed before another contraction hit. L got back to the bed and curled into a ball, the pain was near unbearable, and he wasn't even sure this was an actual contraction.

Another half an hour and five of what were most certainly contractions later, L called Watari, clutching his stomach desperately, almost pleading the child within to wait. He feared his baby didn't realize he wasn't able to give birth without assistance. 

"L?"

"Wa-Watari, I think I'm in labor, p-please, help..." he curled up on the bed, and Watari understood that L was in severe pain if he was allowing himself to sound as desperate and pitiful as he was.

The elderly man came in ten minutes later and helped L stand, "Come on, let's get you to the medical room. Can you walk?" L nodded, standing, and noticed his stomach felt much heavier than before. The walk was only a couple rooms down the hall of the building, but L struggled as the baby's head ground painfully against his pelvis.

He fell to his hands and knees moments before reaching the door and cried out, doing his best not to sob, "H-Hurts!" He knew there were still ten minutes until 5-1-1, but he was damn sure he was in labor, and it was unbearable.

"Breathe, L, just breathe," Watari coached, holding his hand through the contraction. Once it was over, he ran to the medical room and went to get a stretcher and came back. L laid down on it, hating to be vulnerable, but the pain was so torturous he couldn't bring himself to care.

Watari wheeled him into the medical room, and the doctor was already getting supplies ready, and quickly removed L's shirt, washing his belly with soap and warm water. He knew this was necessary, but right now, he wanted to scream to give him the drugs to make the pain stop, so he just watched, breathing heavily as an IV was injected into his arm to prevent loss of fluids. L arched his back as anesthesia was injected into the base of his spine.

L didn't particularly want to watch, so he held Watari's hand and locked eyes with him.

He turned when he heard a little noise and saw his child was out of his body. The doctor massaged the infant's chest and used a small bulb, and the cries became much louder and turned into an unhappy shriek as it let its disapproval of being cut out of its cushy home for nine months known to its parent. L wondered why the baby was making such a fuss because it had been the one insistent on being born. Unless, of course, the child was saying it had changed its mind and wanted back in.

"It's a girl," the doctor said, holding the girl child in one of his arms, handing her to Watari, who went about cleaning the newborn while the doctor stitched L back up.

_I'm a Dad..._

OoOoO

L snapped out of his memories when he felt his daughter poking his cheek,

"Mommy?" She asked. Her name was Adelina Lawliet, but the handful of people who knew she existed knew her as A, which was partly the way to remember the young man who had died and driven B to madness, but that also was a matching letter. 

At fifteen months old, Adelina had shown to have inherited the genius intellect of both her parents and a combination of features. She had B's natural dark brown hair, his nose, and eye shape. She also had L's eye color, skin tone, lip shape, and the messiness of her hair. L wasn't sure if she had gotten his insomnia, or she was just a child who was stubborn about sleep, but at least he didn't sleep anyway. Otherwise, this could have been a serious issue.

Adelina also learned things very quickly, having learned to walk by watching for six months, which was far too early from what L had read. From there, she learned to run, having skipped crawling. It was almost as though she was a sponge, so he didn't bother to censor her unless a murder case he was working on was _really_ graphic. Usually, she sat in the corner of the room while he worked, playing with toys and often times puzzles—not too complicated and generally with princesses and such, but it was still impressive. He still didn't know if she had those eyes that B had or not.

"Oh, I'm just thinking." He looked at the computer and the new Kira killings. This case was so fascinating, and he already had many plans. He needed to prove it, but it was clear Kira could kill people without being there himself.

But if that was the case... would he have to be there in person? If so, he feared he would have to take Adelina with him because he didn't trust Roger to not throw her under "too difficult" and not give the attention she needed. Even if she was smart, she wasn't even two yet.

If he really had to take her with him, he knew he would have to teach her to not be seen, and he wasn't sure if that would even work since she loved meeting new people.

Adelina was sitting next to him. In the lighting making her short hair look black, and her matching white shirt and blue pants—Watari had said it was cute when he picked out the outfit, and L didn't understand enough to say anything on the opposition—made her look like a mini version of him. She pointed at the screen curiously. He had just finished talking to the ICPO and was looking for an ideal Death Row Inmate of the ones arrested in secret to use as his stand-in.

As exciting as this case was, and L would go all the way with no hesitation if he wasn't a mother—he'd tried to teach Adelina to say Dad, but she called him Mommy, and he could do nothing about it—he had a daughter he needed to think about. Small kids weren't supposed to be near murder cases.

Well, Watari could always take care of her. And he was getting ahead of himself, as there was still a 40% chance he could solve the case from behind his screen safely in England. If it really reached a point that he needed to meet people face to face...

He'd cross that bridge if he came to it.


	2. Chapter 2

"No!" Adelina crossed her arms grumpily and pouted. L groaned, the task force was going to be here any minute, and he was grateful they were late because he was currently struggling to get this little gremlin to get in the closet where her playpen had been hidden out of sight. Kira needed a name and a face to kill from what L had seen, and until he tested to make sure the task force didn't include Kira, Adelina would be in danger. Unlike L, she had an actual name—L sometimes wished he had chosen something obscure but decided he didn't want to do to her what his parents did to him.

"Ade," he finally got her still for long enough that he could pick her up and put him in the playpen, "Stay in there and be quiet, you have your nightlight and a computer and toys, but Mommy's about to have a meeting and you can't be seen." 

"Why?" Oh no, she was about to play her favorite game of asking why for everything until someone caved and gave her what she wanted—another reason L didn't trust Roger to take care of her, he had taught her that if she annoyed people long enough, she could get what she wanted. It was moments like this that L really hated that his daughter was a lot like him, stubborn even in the womb.

"Because Kira can kill people if he gets their name and face, and you are sixteen months old, too young to be in this case." 

"Why?"

He clenched his fists, "I don't know why Kira can kill with a name and face, that's what I'm trying to find out. When you grow up, you can help me with cases."

"Why?"

"More mature."

"Why?"

He shut the closet door, only for her to let out a banshee-like shriek. He opened the door again, "A, be quiet!"

"No!"

This squabble between 'mother' and daughter went on for a few more minutes, and L wondered if it would be a crime to give her a tiny bit of alcohol to make her sleep. He heard a knock on the door and panicked, resorting to begging Adelina. He knew this was bending to her will, but he really didn't have time to deal with this,

"Adelina, I'll give you ice cream if you're quiet, okay? Will you be quiet for ice cream?" Adelina did not look happy, but she nodded, sitting in front of the computer and playing puzzle games. He shut the closet door and ran to the main room, "It's open!" 

_Damnit, B._ He once again cursed his ex, as he often did, but this time it was because the bastard was a serial killer in prison and wasn't here to be Adelina's father and make it so that L _didn't_ have to bring her here. 

Actually, now that he thought about it, B was in jail, meaning Kira might get him. L's heart clenched, even though he hated that man, part of him didn't want to see B dead. And he still didn't know how they had conceived Adelina, so was it worth the risk to go ask him before Kira did him in? Then again, what were the odds of Kira finding B's real name?

The task force came in just as L had gotten himself looking relaxed and not like he had been desperately arguing with a toddler to hide in the closet mere moments ago.

Almost immediately, he realized none of these men were Kira, and they would only serve to be his eyes and ears in the outside world if they had just given him their full name, even if he already knew it. But the name Yagami... where had he heard that before? He'd heard it before knowing the chief's name. Oh, wasn't there a kid with that name, gotten countless awards? What was that boy's name... he'd have to ask if the chief had a son.

Was Adelina going to stay quiet? Knowing her, she would be silent until the last second and then scream, and how was he going to explain to the task force that there was a toddler in his closet?

He didn't realize he was talking until after the task force was gone. Odd, he had done many weird things before, but going on autopilot was a new one. Then again, he was more preoccupied with Adelina than these officers.

He sighed, calling Watari to bring ice cream and opened the closet with Adelina, who brightened when she saw him, "Mommy!" 

"Good girl," he picked her up and sighed when he noticed she needed a diaper change—which proved her dedication to ice cream, there was no doubt she had inherited his sweet tooth. 

He changed Adelina's diaper, looking forward to the day she was potty trained. Thankfully, she was already getting there—a perk of her being a genius, so hopefully, he wouldn't need to be changing her anymore. When he was done and washed his hands, she held out her arms and grabbed, saying she wanted to be picked up. See, now she was sweet. Couldn't she be like that all the time?

He picked her up and bounced her as she shrieked with delight. Watari came in with various flavors of ice cream. 

"You can have two flavors, Ade," he said, and this was how he taught her to count, using sweets. This was also used to see how clever she was and train her deductive abilities since he specified the number of flavors, not the amount of ice cream. She hadn't taken long to realize this, and she carefully listened to how he worded her ability to have treats. But right now, it was late, and he was grateful she had been quiet. She wasn't going to sleep anyway, and neither was he. 

Adelina picked chocolate and pumpkin, and L took simply pistachio, "Come on, Gummy Bear, time to read?" Her identical grey eyes sparkled as she carefully toddled over with her ice cream that Watari had the foresight to put in a bowl for her. Then she sat on the bed, bouncing eagerly. L found that he was able to actually sleep if he had someone to hold on to and help him through the nightmares. B at one point at filled that space, but now it was their daughter who loved cuddling. She didn't know why sometimes her Mommy would cry out at night, but she did know he was upset and want to help.

L smiled, grabbing the book he had been reading to her, called _Dealing with Dragons_. It was about a princess who was so bored with her royal life that she ran away to live with dragons. L had debated naming his daughter Cimorene because of it but knew that if he was going to read it to her, best not to name her after the main character.

They were about halfway through the book since he had decided she was old enough and smart enough to actually know what was going on. Every now and then, she would ask the meaning of words, and it was adorable as she failed to pronounce it, so this was a teaching moment as well. 

Since she had sugar, they were able to get through two chapters instead of half of one as they usually did before she drifted off to sleep, still in her jeans. L smiled lovingly at this little creature he cherished with his all and picked her up, putting her in her footie pajamas before tucking her in and turning off the light. He kissed her forehead and chuckled as she sprawled herself out on the bed, taking up as much space as her tiny body would allow.

He grabbed his computer and decided to work for a while with the brightness turned down and noticed she was using his leg like a pillow. Hopefully, she would sleep for a decent amount of time.

But fear clenched his heart, knowing that while he had gotten lucky that he'd thought of ice cream, the task force could have very easily seen or heard her. He knew nobody on the task force was Kira, but Kira also clearly knew classified information. Kira was childish and saw himself as justice, but if he had killed twelve FBI agents who were just doing their job, would he kill a little girl as well?

And more importantly, if Kira made an ultimatum—his daughter's life in exchange for him dropping the case—L knew he would have no choice but to let Kira run free. But the world needed Kira gone, so he needed to hide Adelina and keep her safe at all costs.


	3. Chapter 3

Now, L hadn't expected to be able to hide Adelina from the task force for long, but he had undoubtedly been foreseeing longer than a week. 

But maybe he should have seen this coming since he was working all night watching the surveillance footage with the chief. He had been waiting, praying really, that Soichiro would leave soon.

Adelina had somehow gotten past Watari and was in her lilac and pink footie pajamas. She rubbed her eyes, "Mommy, I heard a weird noise."

"Make a weirder noise to assert dominance." He replied, and slowly turned to the chief, who was no longer watching his son studying on the other side and was staring at the little girl who had run to sit on L's lap. She waved at Soichiro, blissfully unaware of the fact her mother was swearing very colorfully in his mind. 

"Hi!" Adelina waved, giggling.

"Ryuzaki, who's this?" Soichiro asked, "You're a Dad?" Adelina frowned as L sighed, and she pointed at him,

"Mommy." L turned,

"Let's go with that. This is my daughter, you can call her A." He picked Adelina up, so she was staring at him, "I thought I told you I was working, and you couldn't be seen."

"Sorry, Mommy." But she didn't look sorry at all as she reached for the donuts. The damage was done, and the chief knew she existed. He handed her the donut and turned to Soichiro with an expression of toxic sweetness as he said,

"Just so you know, Mr. Yagami, if you tell _anyone_ about her, I will personally make sure you are fired and blacklisted." 

This clearly stunned the chief, who pushed his glasses up, "I understand, Ryuzaki. Nobody must know you have a daughter." He looked at Adelina, "How old is she?"

"Toddler. That's all you need to know." He said, and that left two years worth of potential ages since 'toddler' was from twelve to thirty-six months, "It's late, you should go home to your family. We both have children." Mr. Yagami got up, 

"Yes, good night, Ryuzaki." Adelina waved,

"Bye!" 

When the chief was gone, L grew firm with his daughter—even though he knew he couldn't punish her because even though she was smart, she wasn't involved enough in the case to understand why not being seen was such a big deal.

"Ade, that was really risky. I told you to not let them see you." 

Watari came in, "My apologies, Ryuzaki, I thought she was asleep, and she slipped past me." L sighed,

"It's alright, Watari. At least it was just Mr. Yagami." Adelina bounced on L's lap,

"I wanna play!"

"You need to sleep, and I need to work." He said, and then noticed she was no longer staring at him but at Light, who was walking towards his bed now to sleep. She continued to stare at him in a similar way to how L had been staring at the young man. Something about Light Yagami made it next to impossible to take his eyes off him.

Light was definitely hiding something, and it wasn't those magazines. He had had absolutely no reaction to them. So unless Light was gay and trying to desperately tell himself otherwise to no avail, there was something else. Or he just wasn't into what he had been seeing. Regardless, this did give L real reason for Adelina to not be watching the screens. 

He couldn't deny he was fascinated by Light, and there had been butterflies in his stomach when he laid eyes on him for the first time. He remembered that feeling but instantly shook it away. Light was the prime suspect for being Kira! He didn't even know the guy.

Light was undeniable eye-candy, that was all.

But why was Adelina staring so intently at him? "Ade, what are you looking at?" She pointed at Light, and then L covered her eyes as Light undressed to put on sleep clothing, 

"He's pretty. Like a prince!"

"Yeah, well, this prince might be a killer in disguise." He explained, and she looked at him curiously,

"So he's my Daddy?"

"No, he's not your Daddy." L wished in moments like this that he hadn't told her anything about her father, but she had asked and he hadn't seen at the time a reason to lie to her about the basics of her father not being around because he was a bad person, "But Ade, I may need to go meet him in person and bring him here. No matter what you hear, Watari will be the one taking care of you when Light is here. You're the most precious thing to me, and I don't want Kira to know you exist."

"But why are you seeing him?" Adelina asked, "Is he gonna hurt you?"

"Not if I play my cards right." He bounced her on his leg as she started crying, and held her close, "Don't worry, Gummy Bear, I'm going to be okay."

"I don't want you to go!" Adelina started crying, clinging to him. L knew this case would be the first time in her life that she couldn't run to her Mommy whenever she wanted since this was the first time since she was born that he had to be there in person for cases and interact with people. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, especially if he was going to be investigating Light personally—and prove to himself that those brief butterflies in his stomach upon seeing him were a fluke. But L knew that if something happened to him, either Watari or Roger could take care of Adelina, and it was no secret he preferred the former option.

He hummed quietly, a soft melody used to calm her down, and her loud cries quieted. He smiled, holding her in his arms,

"I need you to be a brave girl for me, okay? I will be okay as long as you stay hidden. You mean everything to me, and if Kira learns about you, he can defeat me. Will you stay hidden, for me?"

"Okay." Adelina wiped her eyes, "What happens to Kira?"

"When I catch him? I..." he hesitated because he didn't want to explain the death penalty to a sixteen-month-old, "I will make sure he never hurts anyone again." He held her as he stood up, tucking her into bed and giving her the stuffed black cat she had had since she was born, and the lilac baby blanket which she loved and kept with her. The fabric was already partially worn through, but she still loved it and wouldn't let Watari replace the satin on the edges. "I love you, Ade."

Adelina looked up at him, sleepily, "I love you more."

"I love you most. Get some sleep, you're a growing girl and need rest. And remember to assert dominance against weird noises and prove yourself superior." Adelina giggled and turned on her side, holding her cat and blanket.

L shut the door and decided to watch and make sure Light was actually asleep and not using the blanket to hide supernatural killing.

If the surveillance revealed nothing, L would need to meet Light in person. He didn't particularly want to, because that involved talking to people, but Kira had to be brought to justice.

Fortunately, it was unlikely that even if Light was Kira that he would be able to guess L's name. And on the off chance he did find out, he should be smart enough to know that killing L meant he was going to be arrested instantly.

He calmed himself because he really had no reason to worry about the idea of being killed and leaving Adelina an orphan. 

He didn't worry about the chief telling anyone, but if Mr. Yagami did let it slip that L had a daughter, L had no qualms with holding true to his threat.

But even if Adelina said she was going to not come in uninvited anymore, he couldn't hold her to that since she wasn't even one and a half. She was still closer to a baby than a toddler, so it was bound to happen that no matter how smart she was, it would slip her mind how important this case and her secrecy was.

He had gotten lucky that another father had seen Adelina and understood why he would want to keep her hidden. But what about someone like the fool, Matsuda? He wouldn't understand keeping Adelina secret.

And if he needed to bring Light to this building, so many things could go wrong that L didn't want to risk it, but knew it was a necessity.

He frowned when he heard thumping coming from the other room and got up to check on Adelina, and what he saw melted his heart. 

"I'm gonna stop you, Kira!" Adelina was using toy handcuffs on her stuffed bear, "You won't hurt people anymore, and now Mommy's safe!" She dragged the toy into the corner of the room and tossed it behind a chair. Then she created a prison out of pillows.

"You're gonna be my little secret weapon, aren't you, Ade?" She ran over to him,

"I proved better than Kira," she gestured to the bear, and L wished it was as simple as it was in a child's imagination, "No more scary noises from Kira." L noticed the window was open, and it was raining outside. He closed the window.

"Alright, little detective, have you collected all your evidence to prove Teddy is Kira?" Adelina shrunk down,

"No." Then she brightened, "But he's in prison, so I can get evidence in the morning!" She crawled in bed, and L chuckled at what a classic move of his that was. He always already know who the culprit was almost immediately and just needed the evidence to convict.

"That's your assignment tomorrow," L said, "After breakfast, I expect by the end of the day a full report with evidence proving Teddy is Kira." He knew this was going to consist of drawings, probably. Still, she liked playing detective, and this wasn't the first time he had dialed down the intensity of cases he had solved and gave her the basics, and it entertained her all day trying to decide the culprit and prove her theory. "If you go to sleep now, I'll ask Watari about waffles for breakfast." Adelina jumped into bed, tucking herself in,

"Na-night, Mommy." Then she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, and it wouldn't be long before she drifted into the realm of slumber. 

"Goodnight, Adelina." He left the door open just a crack and went back to observing Light, who was also fast asleep. He looked innocent when he slept, and not like a mass murder suspect.

L shook himself. Even if he was just admitting Light was rather good-looking, that was still too close to the feelings he swore to never feel again for his liking.


	4. Chapter 4

L walked out of the building after taking the To-Oh university entrance exam, which was extremely easy. Now he would be able to get close to Light, and if Light was Kira, would send him into enough panic that he might hopefully reveal himself.

It wasn't a long walk to the park, where he saw Adelina was running around, playing with a kite. Watari was watching her. There was no way she could be tracked as the daughter of L at the moment, so at Watari's suggestion, Adelina was allowed to play at the park while L took the test. Unlike him, Adelina didn't mind shoes, so she was happy to play. And since she wasn't allowed outside all too often, this was a new and exciting experience for her.

Adelina saw him and ran over. He saw she was holding rainbow cotton candy in one hand while her other hand had the kite, "Mommy! I got candy and a kite!"

"I see that. Are you having fun, Gummy Bear?" Adelina nodded, taking a bite of the cotton candy larger than her head. A woman came over,

"She's a chatty one, how old is she?"

"Not quite two," L replied, slightly annoyed, but had known someone would notice how smart she was. The woman's brow furrowed,

"Really? She's already speaking full sentences." 

"She gets it from her mother." L said, picking up Adelina and stealing some of the cotton candy, "Well, good day." He walked to the car, putting Adelina in her car seat. 

"What were you doing, Mommy?" She asked, and he took the cotton candy from her, giving her tiny bits because even if he was a sugar addict, this thing was larger than her head. 

"I was making sure I can get close to Light."

"Why? Isn't he bad?"

"Possibly. But if Light _is_ bad, I'm going to scare him real bad."

"If he's not bad, can I meet him? He's different."

L wasn't sure how to respond to that. If Light wasn't evil, that meant he would be a useful ally, so he didn't see a reason particularly against it once Kira was brought to justice. But...

"What do you mean by different?" He asked. Adelina blinked at him,

"He doesn't have numbers."

"What? What does that mean?" L's interest and fear peaked. Did she really have those eyes Beyond had? He had mentioned seeing numbers above people. But if she had the eyes... she might go mad like he did.

All thoughts of the Kira case vanished as he realized that if Adelina really did have those eyes, he needed to find out what they were before she did. But that meant confronting Beyond and telling him about their daughter. While that experience would provide answers—like, say, how she came to be—he couldn't abandon the case and go off to a prison in California. And what happened if Beyond decided he wasn't going to be a good prisoner and busted out, trying to regain some custody of their child? 

He weighed his options. On the off chance Kira found out B's real name, he was on a time crunch to find him and get these answers. That would mean he would have to go alone. Well... he had four months until he would see Light again. Maybe he could somehow get answers without revealing Adelina's existence. And if Light didn't have numbers, which seemed to be an uncommon thing, what did that mean? Was it the key to finding Kira? Even if it was, how was he supposed to use that as evidence?

"Mommy, what's wrong?" She asked, "Did I do something bad?"

"No, sweetie, you didn't." He sucked in a breath, "By any chance, can you see names and numbers above people." His stomach plummeted when she nodded. He hadn't asked before, not thinking it would be an issue because she hadn't shown signs of having the eyes. B used to stare at people for extended amounts of time to the point of leering, but Adelina had never had such a quirk. "What's my number?" 

"75231362." She said this and showed each number on her fingers. L frowned,

"Do you know what it means?" Adelina shook her head,

"What does it mean, Mommy?"

L paused. He wanted to know the answer, but if she didn't know, and whatever it was was clearly bad, so why let her think this was abnormal? It wasn't like she got out much. This would probably come back to bite him in the ass, but since she was only sixteen months old, he could always say he hadn't told her as a toddler.

"It doesn't mean anything. Some people have that power, others don't. I just thought you were like me and didn't." 

"Did Daddy have that power?" L nodded,

"Yes, he does."

The car stopped, and L carried Adelina inside and turned on some television for her. 

He didn't put up with cartoons unless he was having Adelina watch them and basically rewrite them, so characters made logical choices. He also avoided the live-action Disney Channel shows like the plague. So she watched a lot of 80s shows. She liked _She-ra_ enough, but she loved to point out moments in the show and ask him what he would do in situations like that. At least she looked up to him as a person to turn to for logical choices. Hopefully, this would stick when she's a teenager.

Right now, she was watching a soap opera starring Hideki Ryuga. L chuckled a little as he decided which celebrity he was going to steal the name of as an alias.

Then he sent a message to the prison B was locked in, saying he needed to talk to B. By phone or email, he didn't care. He got a message saying Beyond Birthday was available to be called. L picked up the phone and walked into a different room, dialing the number and listening to the irritating hold music.

Kira needed a name and a face to kill, and those eyes made things even easier. If it weren't for L not wanting B to know about Adelina, and knowing there was no point in even pretending she would obey hiding from the father she's wanted to meet since she had a concept of parents.

He locked himself in the bathroom as he heard the static and B's voice.

 _"Long time, darling,"_ L fought back a groan at B's voice.

"Hello, Beyond," he spat, "How's prison life been treating you?"

_"Could be worse. But it's been so long since I've heard from you. Two years if I'm counting correctly."_

"Not long enough," he forced himself to calm down, remembering this was for Adelina, "Listen, B, I'm not calling to relive the past. If I wanted to do that, I'd have gone in person. As much as I hate to admit it, I need your help." Wow, lawyers were right. Domestic battles between exes were the worst, especially with B acting as though nothing had happened. If this bastard tried to gaslight him, he was going to be so pissed. To be fair, B didn't know he had left his partner alone and pregnant, but L was still furious.

_"Oh? What do you need from me?"_

"Information about your eyes. I have reason to believe they will be crucial in the investigation I'm currently working on. Before you say anything, no, I do not need you for anything else.."

_"And why should I tell you anything?"_

"B, so help me, tell me what I need to know right now!" It was abnormal for him to lose his cool like this, but talking to B for the first time in years had allowed him to release all that pent up frustration he had been feeling.

_"I want to see you again, in person. I've missed you."_

L huffed, knowing that he would have to agree to this if he wanted to help Adelina. At least he had Watari, and the tiny chance B got offed by Kira.

He froze, realizing that, for a split second, he had wanted his ex dead. He felt anger towards the man but had never wished harm upon him before. What would he even do if B died? Would he feel nothing at all? Happy? Or would he remember that at one point, he had been in love and would grieve?

"Once I'm done with the case, I'll visit. Who knows, if you tell me, I might have the case done soon, and your help could take time off your sentence. But, you know, I wouldn't think you'd want to see me, given you were trying to kill yourself just to be a step up." Internally, he kicked himself for losing his cool so much.

_"L—"_

"Don't give me that. What's past is past, so tell me what I need to know."

Silence on the other side of the line, before B sighed, _"Fine. The numbers seen with my eyes are lifespans. It's hard to calculate exactly, and unless someone with the eyes witnesses a death, they won't be able to realize that. My victims were going to die that day whether I intervened or not, so less damage that way."_

"What would it mean if there was someone alive who didn't have numbers?"

_"Don't know, the only lifespan I can't see is my own when I look in a mirror. Why are you asking this? Is there something you're not telling me?"_

"There are lots of things I'm not telling you, but that's beside the point. Thanks for the information. Goodbye."

 _"L—"_ He hung up, not wanting to listen to apologies or whatever B had wanted to say. The damage had been done, and L had vowed to never love again, and B had proven he couldn't be trusted.

It had been two years, why was he so flustered and angry and just not himself while talking to B? That rage could have cost him the information, but he just couldn't stop himself. 

Lifespans... L wasn't sure if B was screwing with him or not. For some reason, he didn't doubt those words at all. But he also knew B had been genuine about having no idea what not seeing someone's numbers could mean.

He forced the serial killer out of his mind even though he knew that conversation was going to be overanalyzed for months to come and keep him up and lower his deductive abilities by 20% to the point he would be tempted to call again. But calling again would make those old feelings awaken again, and he could tell B wanted to rope him back in. Whether it was genuine or not, L hadn't been on the phone long enough to notice.

Adelina could see the names and lifespans of anyone, except she couldn't see Light's lifespan. He was lucky the numbers were so obscure, so he could tell her anything, and not how to calculate it. He had decided not to ask about what his own lifespan meant.

But _why_ couldn't she see Light's lifespan? Did she just not get a good enough look at his face? Did she need to see him in person to see his lifespan? Did this mean anything at all for the case? 

He wasn't about to ignore the possibility she hadn't seen Light's face well enough, or she needed to see him in person for it to work. But first, he had to deduce another reason. B had said he couldn't see his own lifespan, and that made sense to avoid existential dread. Was there a chance this power wasn't all that uncommon, and Light just had it too? If B had Kira's killing power, no doubt he would have used it to guarantee not getting caught, so it was doubtful he had it.

He bit his thumb as he continued to ponder. Then he realized he was still in the bathroom, so he stepped out, fearing Adelina had been listening in on his side of the conversation. Thankfully, she wasn't there when he opened the door. 

L entered the other room and still saw her watching television and coloring. She turned,

"Was that Daddy on the phone?"

"How much did you hear?" L asked,

"Nothing, but you don't hide when you're on the phone. Did Daddy say something mean? You're crying."

L put a hand on his cheek, realizing there were indeed tear tracks. Odd. But he didn't see a point in lying to her. Lying to her wouldn't help anyone when she was smart enough to sense lies.

"Yes, that was your father. No, he didn't say anything mean. I just needed his insight as to why you might not be able to see Light's numbers. He wasn't helpful there. So now I have reopened an old wound and am in a bad mood."

Adelina turned off the television and climbed onto the couch next to him, "Wanna read?"

L smiled, nodding. He couldn't be in a bad mood around her. She had the eyes, but as long as he made sure she never found out it was lifespans she saw, she wouldn't be in danger of going mad. But no matter how useful her eyes might be, he wasn't going to get her involved in the investigation. If there came a time where Light was 100% in the clear, then he would introduce Light to Adelina and see if not seeing his lifespan was a fluke or not.

Four months until L would see Light again. Four months of putting up with the task force and needing to hide his little girl. From now on, unless they had a lead, the task force was leaving at a reasonable hour, so he could spend time with Adelina.

Watari came in with a tray of treats, and Adelina bounced up, 

"Watery! We're gonna read! Join us!" 

Watari smiled and pulled out the book, giving it to L. There was no denying Watari saw Adelina as a granddaughter, including spoiling her with gifts and treats.

And this was why L actually had something to fight for, a reason to not risk his life for this case. He had a family now and had no plans of giving it up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter begins the interactions with Light and L.


	5. Chapter 5

After playing a round of tennis with Light, L found himself quickly realizing that Light fit the bill for what he imagined Kira to be. But he also feared that during the tennis match, his scar had been seen for even a second. The last thing he wanted was for his suspect to think he had ever been injured to the point of having a scar that deep, let alone the truth behind it.

He was a little worried that at any given second, he would get a call from Adelina because this was the longest she had ever gone without him around. Since Light was here, how would he even address her?

He hadn't realized he was tuning Light out, too busy worrying about his daughter and wondering if she was lonely, until he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Ryuga? Are you okay?"

L looked up, "Oh, yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind. And before this conversation continues, I have something I must tell you."

Light frowned a little, "What is it?"

"I suspect that you, Light Yagami, are, in fact, Kira." They both stopped walking, "If you still want to ask me, go ahead."

Light was silent for a little longer than expected, before chuckling, "You think I'm Kira?"

"Well, even though I say I suspect you, it's only a one-percent possibility. Leaving that aside, once I'm sure that you aren't Kira and because you have sharp reasoning abilities, I'd like for you to work with me on this investigation."

Light pondered this for a little bit, before gesturing for L to follow. A small part of L's brain wondered if he was right about Light being Kira and was about to be murdered in an alleyway. But no, Light wasn't the type to do that even if he was Kira. But then again, could L say that? If Light really was Kira, he was a sociopath and, therefore, would be very good at hiding his true self.

But Light wasn't leading him anywhere creepy. It was a small coffee shop, and Light sat down, gesturing for him to sit too.

"This coffee shop is one of my favorites. If we sit here, there's no chance of anyone overhearing us. And we don't have to worry about anyone commenting on how you sit, either."

"I have to sit like this." L explained, "If I sit normally, my deductive skills drop by forty percent. Do you mind if I test your deductive skills?"

Light nodded a little as he sipped some tea absently, "Yeah, okay. It sounds like fun."

"Then first, please take a look at this." L fought back a smirk as he pulled some photos out of his pocket, "These three are pictures of notes that we believe were written by criminals in prison right before they died, while under Kira's influence. Please tell me what you think."

As Light began to explain them, it became harder to hide his smirk, as Light unknowingly made himself look even more like Kira.

"Incorrect. There are actually four photographs." L pulled out the fake and set it on the table, "When we add this one, this is what it reads: L, do you know? Gods of Death who love apples have red hands."

"But even with the three photographs, my deduction was perfect." Light defended. 

"It wasn't perfect. The truth is that there are four. It would have been perfect if you'd figured out there was another. Light, even though you knew the message wasn't finished, you decided that there were only three notes. You didn't guess that there was a fourth."

"Hmm, I hadn't thought that far. Well, whatever the case, it's not a message that would lead to Kira. Gods of Death don't exist."

L wanted to believe Light was correct on that, but it was hard at this point, living in a world where his ex and daughter could see the names and lifespans of people—certainly not something your average person could do. And Kira could kill people without being present. At this point, in the last three years alone, L had dealt with stranger things than Gods of Death. Would it really come as a shock if they did exist?

"Then, if you were me, faced with someone who might be Kira, how would you check if he was Kira?"

Light didn't miss a beat, "I would try to have him say something that wasn't broadcast to the public, that only Kira would know. Kind of like what you were doing just now."

Now, this was appealing, having someone who knew the answer so quickly. However, what Light didn't realize was he had done the very thing he had suggested L should. By insisting there had been three photos, something only law enforcement and Kira should know, Light made himself look even more suspicious. Yes, technically, Light had been correct, so this evidence could be taken with a grain of salt, but it was undeniably something he had to take note of.

Still, he was impressed by the answer and decided to let Light know that, "That's amazing. I've asked several detectives that same question, but most of them needed a few minutes to answer. And you immediately thought of a scenario in which Kira is talking to the investigator. Your deductive abilities are amazing."

"But it's a double-edged sword." Light replied, "The more impressive my answers are, the more of a suspect I become." L nodded,

"Yes. By about three percent. But in that respect, it's made me more determined to work with you. Even if you are Kira, I would like for us to work together on this investigation. Do you know why?"

"If I cooperate with you, the investigation will move forward, and if I really am Kira, I might reveal myself. In other words, conduct the case while investigating me all at once. I think it's a great idea but aren't you getting the wrong idea, Ryuga? I'm interested in the Kira case, and detective work is a hobby of mine, but I am not Kira, and I don't want him to kill me. First of all, I have no proof that you aren't Kira, either. It would be strange for just one of us to be investigated, right? Neither of us has proof that we aren't Kira. But Ryuga, if you are L, I'm sure you can show me evidence of that. Like having someone in the task force or my father tells me that you are really L in person. If you can't, I can't investigate with you."

_ You talk a lot, don't you, Light Yagami? Typical for someone who hates to lose. Make that seven percent... could he really be? Regardless, bringing him on the task force is risky. Ade is older now, so she will hopefully understand why she needs to avoid him, but she's still curious by nature. If she can't see his "numbers," she will undoubtedly want to investigate. I need to keep Light close for the case, but with how he is practically painting himself as Kira, this is more dangerous than I thought. _

"I never said that I wouldn't let you meet anyone from the task force headquarters. I am currently working with your father. If I take you to base, you'll help with the investigation. Am I right?" He frowned when his phone rang. It was Watari, but he wondered if it was actually going to be Watari, "Excuse me."

Light's phone started ringing too, "Oh, me too."

When L picked up the phone, it actually was Watari on the other side, "Ryuzaki, something has happened." L heard what happened and looked up at Light in a panic,

"Light, your father—!"

"My father..." L heard a tremble in Light's voice that for a split second made him doubt the Kira accusations, "He had a heart attack!"

OoOoO

After finding out Soichiro's heart attack was only connected to Kira by correlation instead of causation, L was back to thinking Light was Kira. Still, this time he held more doubt with how Light had been saying he would make sure Kira was executed if something happened to his father. 

But if Light was Kira, there was a chance that was a promise he was making to himself, a line he refused to cross. So L supposed that would make him slightly less of a horrible person. 

However, seeing Light worried about his father reminded L that he had a little one at home he hadn't seen all day, so he headed home and walked into the hotel room, only to have his legs grabbed by Adelina.

"Mommy! You're back!"

She had grown so much in the last four months, and L realized that in another four months, she would be two years old. The days flew by, and before he knew it, she would be a teenager. Hopefully, he could get her out of her inevitable rebellious phase the same way he had made sure her first tantrum was also her last—in hindsight, hilarious fashion that still took the wind out of her sails.

Her dark hair was long enough that it could be in tiny pigtails, but she preferred to have her hair free and detested having it brushed. Almost like a pixie cut once it had reached the point of being grown out that it couldn't quite be called a pixie cut. She also hated dresses but did like socks—especially mismatched socks.

"Hey, Ade," he picked her up, bouncing her a bit as she hugged his neck, "What did you do while I was gone?"

"I'm... I had a tea party with my toys, and then we solved cases together, and I watched TV and played with blocks..." she went on to explain her day, which sounded like the day of a typical toddler, regardless of her intellect. 

Watari came in, "I let her stay up until you got home. She wanted to make sure you came back safely."

"Was the pretty guy Kira? Is he gonna be my new Daddy?"

"WHAT?! Uh—No—Um—" L stammered, "No, nothing like that, Ade. I don't know if he's Kira or not yet, but even if he's not, I'm not gonna... don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh," he could tell she was disappointed, but then she yawned, rubbing her eyes. L smiled, pulling her close and carrying her to bed. As he crawled into bed with her, Watari looked at them both with a sad smile,

"L, please be careful, for your sake and hers."

"Don't worry, I will." All he had to do now was get Light to reveal himself. And if Light wasn't Kira, there was nothing to be worried about.

Part of him didn't want Light to be Kira. He certainly was intriguing and equally brilliant, maybe even a potential friend. And him being Kira would be just too easy.

He laid awake, listening to Adelina's little noises as she slept, thinking about what she had said about Light being her new father. He did feel bad about her not having a second parent she could love, but it wasn't his fault B was crazy. It hadn't even been three years, he refused to love again.

But that comment from a child's innocence kept him awake all night.


	6. Chapter 6

L had been working with the task force when suddenly Adelina ran in. There were so many colorful phrases he wanted to say as Ukita, Mogi, Matsuda, and Aizawa laid eyes on the little girl for the first time. L wasn't even looking at them and knew they had all very quickly noticed the resemblance she shared with their leader, which was becoming more and more apparent as she got older.

"Mommy!" She shouted, "I know you said to hide and not let the men see me, but something's happening on TV." Before L could say anything that wouldn't be vulgar, she took the remote from him and changed the channel to Sakura TV, where there was a reveal of tapes supposedly sent by Kira. At that moment, L's phone rang, and Watari called to tell him the same thing.

"You're a Dad?!" Matsuda asked, looking down at the child. L groaned,

"A, honey, thank you for letting me know, but Watari could have informed me."

Adelina looked down, "Sorry, Mommy." Then she looked up with a bright smile, making it clear her shame had been nothing except a ruse to try making him think she cared that what she had done went directly against what he had told her to do. Damn toddlers and their stubbornness, which was enhanced by her being the daughter of two of the most stubborn people alive, and he knew it was just going to get worse with age. "Can I stay, though? They know now."

"Fine." L ran his hands through his hair and listened to the broadcast, his eyes widening, "Stop this broadcast! Get Sakura TV on the line!" The task force snapped out of their shock at hearing L was a parent and scrambled to the phones.

"It's no good." Aizawa said, "No one I know at the station has their cell phones on."

Matsuda turned away from his phone. "The lines at the station are all busy—!"

"Damn!" Ukita ran toward the door.

"Ukita!"

"I'll go to the station and stop this at the source!"

Adelina was sitting in front of the television, "Mommy, I don't like the font." L smiled a little bit because, of course, _that_ was the thing to bother her. But to be fair, that font was kind of terrible.

"Everyone, please listen to me," Kira said, "I don't want to kill the innocent. I hate evil and love justice. I consider the police as allies and not my enemy."

 _Damn you, Kira._ L thought.

"I intend to create a world without evil. If everyone cooperates, this will be simple. If no one tries to catch me, the innocent will not die. Even if you don't agree with me, keep your sentiments to yourself. Do not broadcast it, and I won't kill you. Please be patient. I will create a better world for everyone. I will change this tainted world into a new one where only kind people live. Imagine it."

"Mommy, I don't think Kira smart." Adelina said, "Kira says that he likes justice, but acts like a snowflake."

"A snowflake?" Matsuda asked, and Adelina nodded,

"Yeah! Like Kira's special and nobody has a right to question him. But doesn't that go against the point of a better world?"

Matsuda gaped at the little girl who had a better understanding of the situation than a trained officer did. He looked at the television with wide eyes and covered Adelina's eyes. L almost went into mother-anger seeing someone touch his child, but upon seeing the dead body of Ukita on television, silently thanked Matsuda.

"A-Aizawa! Look!" Matsuda said, and L took Adelina and held her in such a way that she couldn't see the television.

"Someone has collapsed! We're in front of Sakura TV studio!" Adelina tried to look, and Aizawa's eyes widened,

"U-Ukita! Damn it. It's Kira, isn't it?!" He went running out the door, but L called out, setting his child in a chair and telling her that no matter what, don't look on the TV to the left. Since she saw how upset the adults were, she nodded, clearly afraid, and he trusted she would listen to him this time. It was one thing when he was calm, but when even her mother was distressed was another. 

"Mr. Aizawa. Where are you going?"

"Where Ukita is, of course!" L shook his head, calmly walking up to Aizawa, hiding his own feelings on the matter, and the anger he felt at Kira.

"That wouldn't be good. Please think about this rationally."

"Are you telling me that we should just quietly watch TV here?!" Aizawa snapped, and L shook his head, his bangs falling in his face, 

"If this is Kira's doing, you'll just meet the same fate."

"Kira shouldn't be able to kill without a name! So how could this happen!" Aizawa yelled, and Matsuda came over,

"Our aliases and fake police ID are pointless! What are we going to do, L? You don't think Kira knows our names already?" 

"That may be so." L said, turning and seeing Adelina looking at him with wide, terrified eyes, glassy with tears as though she was trying not to cry. This was another reason why he hadn't wanted her here, but now that she was, she needed to stay until the end and see everything was gonna be okay. "If that is the case, it would be a lot easier to kill off all those who are investigating him before making a move. I deduced that he needed a face and a name to kill, but from what we just saw, he may only need a face to kill. All I can say is that Kira is within that television station or is in a place where he can watch who enters the building."

"If Kira is in that area, isn't that more of a reason to go?!"

"He may have only placed surveillance cameras in the area. If we go there unprepared, we'll just be killed."

"You said that you were risking your life to catch Kira, didn't you?!" Aizawa grabbed him, and L's whole body froze. He closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't lose his cool or let himself get lost in painful memories with his daughter and those working under him watching.

Through gritted teeth, he spoke, "Risking my life and doing something that'll get me killed and orphan my daughter are entirely different things." Aizawa squeezed, pulling L forward and grabbing the front of his shirt. At that point, L's body was downright petrified except for the trembling he did of his body's own accord. 

It was at that moment Aizawa knew he had crossed a line, with the fear he could see in L's eyes, and the toddler now officially crying, having walked over and stomped on his foot. He looked down at the little girl who was looking at him like a kicked puppy, and he released L, who bent down to comfort her.

"Please control yourself. We lost Ukita, and if something were to happen to you as well..." He turned back to the Kira announcement, bouncing Adelina in his arms to comfort her.

"I want the police to tell me whether or not they will help me create a new world. Please make an announcement on the six o'clock news in four days. I have prepared a video for whichever answer you choose."

"Mommy, why are stupid people the dangerous ones?" Adelina wailed, as though terrified, and it took L a moment to process what she said, and it was at that moment he realized this wasn't the same Kira they were dealing with. She was right, this one was _much_ dumber and didn't seem to understand how killing innocents and tearing apart free speech was directly contradicting the peaceful world Kira sought to make. He also realized he may have rubbed off on Adelina more than he thought.

"Because idiots are too brain-dead to realize when something is a bad idea." He turned when he heard a crash from the screen,

"This just in! A vehicle has just crashed into the Sakura TV studios!"

The entire task force stared at the screen with bemused expressions. "That's one way to get into the building without being seen."

"Ah!" The reporter said, "Police cars have finally arrived in front of the Sakura TV building!"

"We're not alone in this." Matsuda breathed, "There are still people within the police who will stand up against Kira." L looked to Aizawa, adjusting his grip, so he was holding Adelina in one arm with her holding onto his neck, and had a free hand. This was the struggle of being a parent of a toddler, and knowing that making her leave now before the conflict is resolved will lead to nightmares, and she would never leave them alone.

"Mr. Aizawa. You know Deputy Director Kitamura's cell phone number, don't you?" Aizawa handed him the phone once the number had been dialed.

_"Aizawa, I told you not to call me."_

"This is L. I want you to do something for me. Watch the news. You will see the police officers who are fighting hard to bring Kira to justice. If you don't take control of them as their superior, we'll have a tragedy on our hands."

 _"But we aren't to be involved in this case."_ L narrowed his eyes in the direction of the television, sitting down and losing 40% of his deductive reasoning as he heard the reporter.

"Oh, no! Two of the police officers who rushed forward have collapsed! We're going to move away from here!"

 _"I understand, L."_ Kitamura said, _"Please advise me on how I should lead them."_

Watari was here now and pulled out his phone, "It's from Detective Superintendent Yagami." L traded with Watari, handing him Adelina and taking the phone. The little girl reached for her mother, and Matsuda was still mindblown that L had a child.

He didn't hear all of what the chief had said, so he responded first with, "It's me. Mr. Yagami, so that was you in that police van."

_"Yes, I just couldn't sit by anymore. I've confiscated all the tapes. I'll bring them to you."_

"But what about your condition? How are you doing?" 

_"I'm more than fine."_ Mr. Yagami assured, _"I've never felt more alive."_ That was the adrenaline talking and could send him into another heart attack, but L decided to not mention that, " _So what should I do? I think going out from the front would be dangerous. But maybe I'll be all right in that van."_

"Wait, just a moment." L put the other phone up to his ear, "Deputy Director Kitamura, it was Chief Yagami who crashed into the building. Are you prepared?"

 _"As you requested."_ He pulled up the other phone,

"Mr. Yagami, wait five minutes, then come out of the front entrance."

_"Come out of the front entrance?!"_

L hung up without a word and sighed, "There, problem resolved."

"Mommy, what was that?" Adelina asked nervously, and Matsuda pointed at her,

"Okay, she's yours, Ryuzaki!"

"You haven't figured that out already? This is my daughter, and I will tell all three of you," he had forgotten before now that Mogi was even here, "That if you tell anyone about her existence, I will make sure you are fired and blacklisted. The chief has already been given this promise."

Aizawa tensed, "Why does she call you 'Mommy'?"

"Because her other parent isn't in her life, so she has no concept of the difference." L explained, which was technically a correct answer, just not the actual reason. He feared for a moment that Adelina would say something, but thankfully she wasn't fully aware of the nature of procreation, just that the circumstances of her birth were _not_ normal. 

L got up, taking his daughter back, and she looked up at him, "Mommy, Kira's not gonna get you, right?"

"No, he won't. I will do anything to keep you safe—and I don't trust anyone else to take care of you." Matsuda raised a sheepish hand

"I can babysit."

"You're working on the task force." He looked Adelina dead in the eye, "Are you actually going to sleep tonight?"

"That was scary," he sighed, knowing the answer. But he had some ideas already and wanted to bounce them off Adelina—even if she didn't fully understand, sometimes a child's simple view of things made things clearer.

"How old is she?" Mogi asked, and L huffed,

"Toddler. Gifted for her age." 

"How did you manage to make her so well-behaved?" Matsuda asked, "Does she throw tantrums?"

"She had one tantrum when she was six months old. That was both the first and the last." L replied, crouching, and waiting for the chief to get here with the tapes so he could escape this conversation. Mr. Yagami hadn't been questioning.

"How?!" For the first time, he seemed to have won Aizawa's respect and wondered what he had done, "Yumi had them until she was five." Well, it didn't hurt to explain that. Tantrums were indeed the worst.

"Simple. I looked A dead and the eye and told her she could do better. Then I walked away. She quite literally flopped after me and started screaming again, so I coached her on how to have a proper tantrum with the screaming and the flailing. That took the wind out of her sails." 

Silence. Then Matsuda and Mogi started cackling, Watari chuckled a little, and Aizawa looked as though L had the secrets of the universe.

"How can someone so socially inept have the secrets to parenting under his belt that even experienced parents never learn?"

"I am one of the smartest people on Earth, and my daughter inherited my intelligence, so perhaps I got lucky."

"Is her name actually A, or is that an alias?" Matsuda asked, and L crossed his arms,

"Any more questions on my daughter and I will start suspecting _you_ of being Kira. I'll leave that question to your imagination. I can see the gears turning in your head to start referring to her by names that start with A and see which gets her attention." Matsuda pouted at how L had seen right through him. Watari put Adelina down, and she ran up to the youngest officer, bouncing on the balls of her feet,

"Hi, Touta!" Matsuda waved down at her, and L whirled around as she used the officer's first name, fearing instantly that they would realize there was something abnormal about her. But he relaxed since Matsuda probably figured L himself had told her, not that she could see names when she saw someone's face.

"Hi."

L turned when he saw the door open, and Watari was helping Mr. Yagami, and if the chief could have arrived five minutes ago, that would have been much more convenient.

"Ryuzaki, I'm sorry for acting on my own." L took a bag from him with the take, assuring him that it was okay, "The tapes and envelopes that Kira sent are all in here."

"Thank you very much."

"Please allow me to rest for a moment." L looked to where the chief was lying down, and Adelina handed Mr. Yagami some candy to try making him feel better. Soichiro smiled at the little girl, clearly surprised she was out, but not planning to question it. He probably figured keeping a toddler entertained with her own thoughts for hours grew impossible, which was most likely close to the truth though he wouldn't know for sure until the task force left, and he asked her.

He looked down at the envelope. _The postmark is from Osaka. But Kira can control his victims before they die. He could have it delivered from Osaka without going there himself..._ "Mr. Aizawa," he handed the envelope to Aizawa, "Please take this to the crime lab at once."

"I have a few contacts in the lab. I'll be sure to check this out thoroughly."

"Please do. I shall check the contents of the duplicate tapes." He looked to the tapes, "Watari, keep an eye on A."

"I wanna play!" Adelina chirped, and Matsuda shrugged,

"I'll play with her." L looked at the tapes, knowing he didn't want her to hear what was on here.

"With supervision from Watari, that is fine. But she is strictly forbidden from touching the Disney Channel—don't question, obey."

OoOoO

After listening to the tapes and seeing Adelina had managed to tire Matsuda out, he sat her down and explained what had happened with Kira. He didn't censor her, but he didn't graphically describe things. She knew that Kira had changed, and after laying this new information in front of her like a puzzle, she came to the same conclusion he had about this not being the original Kira. She called this Kira the "less bright but more dangerous" Kira. While that wasn't an official title, after listening to those tapes and remembering the events of the evening, he couldn't deny that description seemed to be accurate.

But then this conversation happened that made his blood run cold.

"Mommy, do you think new Kira is like me?" She asked, eating some cake, looking up at him curiously, "You said Kira needed names and faces, but I see names."

"I hadn't thought about that." L had thought about it but had desperately hoped it wasn't right, because then he may need B's help. While officially, Beyond Birthday was dead, killed by Kira, that wasn't true in the slightest. L had grieved somewhat, hearing his ex was dead, but then a month later, got a frantic call from Roger saying, "L, your crazy ex is in my office and looking for you."

This had led to another argument with B, and L was still afraid Roger had cracked and told B about Adelina. He hoped that wasn't the case, but took comfort in knowing that there was a good chance _nothing_ , not even L's own demand, would stop B from coming to Japan to see his daughter.

What he did know was Adelina seemed to be at the stage of life where she wanted a father in her life, and whether it was her crazy birthfather or subtly implying she wanted Light as a new Dad—did Adelina have a thing for serial killers too? He had noticed it when she was playing with Matsuda, and he had overheard her asking about what kids did with their Dads. The _last_ thing he needed was Adelina asking about _Matsuda_ being her new Dad. But he did know she needed to meet new people if every male roughly L's age was potential father material in her book.

But Adelina had those eyes, and there was a chance they directly tied to Kira's killing power. But B couldn't psychically kill people the way Kira could, so was this just an ability that the second Kira just happened to have by coincidence that made their job much easier? It was clear there was a high chance that learning about these eyes was a critical factor in determining how Kira killed.

But he couldn't tell her this, "Maybe Kira does have your eyes."

"Does that mean I could end up like Kira?" She asked, lip quivering, and L pulled her close, 

"No. You're my daughter, and I will make sure you never end up like that. Just because you were born with a similar trait means nothing. That's like saying just because I have the same hair color as Matsuda means I'm the same as him." Adelina giggled,

"He's much sillier."

"That's right. See what I mean?" Adelina nodded, looking towards the TV,

"Tapes?"

"Nothing for you to worry about unless you want to pick out a stand-in for me of my resources." She blinked, and he explained, "Kira wants me to appear on TV, and we both know I'm not going to do that, so let's get a Death Row Inmate to replace me like the first time."

"Wouldn't Kira get mad?"

"Oh, definitely, but remember that I have a ton of successors, so how could Kira prove I'm not one of my successors?" Adelina giggled,

"Kira's gonna be mad!" She danced around excitedly, and L knew he would have to make the stand-in specify that L has lots of successors, just to point out killing the original is pointless since there are more. He laughed a little, seeing how excited she was to anger a serial killer. He decided to not tell her it was him or another, but he was sure he could in the next three days find a way around this. 

For now, let her be happy, thinking it was simple.

She looked up, jumping up and down, "So now we catch smart Kira?" 

"That's right." He bent down, very firm, "Adelina Lawliet," she knew what he was saying was important if he was using her full name, "There will come a time I may have to introduce you to Light. But now is _not_ the time. I will let you play with Matsuda when Light is here, okay? Clearly, me simply telling you how important not being seen is doesn't work, so I'll put it this way. If you come out while I'm working when Light is here, no ice cream for a month." Her grey eyes widened in horror, and she could see he wasn't messing around this time.

"O-Okay, Mommy." He softened,

"Come on, Ade, let's read for a bit. It's late. Get your pajamas on." She perked up, running off, and L sighed, knowing the stress of being a parent while on this case was getting to him. He understood how Mr. Yagami felt, with his child directly involved in the case.

Working alongside Light, who was probably Kira and also probably thought L was spacey since he kept finding himself worrying about his kid. How would Light react if he found out a child existed? There was a chance even Kira wouldn't touch a toddler, but that wasn't something L was going to bet on. The only reason he would ever let Light know Adelina existed as if he was in a situation of needing to keep Light close for long periods, which would be irrational to keep Adelina away.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, and L knew tomorrow he would need to start working with Light. Did he really trust Matsuda to keep an eye on his baby girl? Well... Watari would be crucial help on the case, and leaving a toddler who desperately wants social interaction all by herself was a terrible idea.

Maybe he would be lucky, and Matsuda would be a good babysitter. Possibly. Or this whole thing would crash and burn in the form of Matsuda coming out right in front of Light and asking questions on Ade.

The whole investigation relied on Matsuda keeping his mouth shut.

They were doomed.


	7. Chapter 7

L sat with the task force, Adelina sitting next to him and eating some strawberry shortcake. "We are going to ask Light Yagami to join the investigation, but let's not tell him there is a second Kira." Adelina looked up at him innocently,

"Why?" It was clear the other investigators wanted to know too—it was also evident at least Aizawa and Mogi were disturbed by the child no older than two having a basic grasp on a case like this. When L had said he didn't censor much from her and occasionally used her to bounce ideas off of, he wasn't kidding. Once again, she wore purple and pink footie pajamas and looked up at her parent with big grey eyes.

"Why do you want him to work with us, anyway?" Aizawa asked. L ate a piece of chocolate,

"We're only going to hide that from him until we have him watch this tape and ask him for his impression of it. Something is amazing about Light's deductive skills. When he sees this, he may even deduce that there is a second Kira."

Soichiro looked worried, "But the only basis for a second Kira is your explanation that the victims of those killings had committed minor crimes that never would have been punished by Kira." L shook his head,

"That's not all. The Kira that we've persued until now needed a face and a name to kill. But judging from the fact that Mr. Ukita died as soon as he arrived at the television station, and considering how Kira practically told me he could kill me if I just appeared on TV, means the Second Kira can kill by just seeing someone's face. So, I'll ask Light to look at the investigative facts and the video. If he suggests that there may be a second Kira, then he's almost completely cleared."

"Ryuzaki, what do you mean?" Matsuda asked.

"If he's Kira, he'll want to kill me, the one in charge of the investigation. At this rate, if I go along with the Second Kira's demands and appear three days later on TV, he will have reason to believe I will die. However, as you all know, I have a child," he gestured to Adelina, "And therefore, would never actually risk myself or by proxy her. That being said, Kira wouldn't know that since he will not know she exists, so I don't think that Kira would miss an easy chance to kill me."

It was clear now that Soichiro was even more worried than usual, "So what you're saying is that if my son doesn't deduce that there is a second Kira, then he is guilty?"

"No. In that case, it will remain below a five-percent chance. And we'll tell him that we are investigating the possibility of a second Kira and have him assist us. Matsuda, I'm going to need to take you up on that offer to babysit. I told A that she could play with you in exchange for her never letting Light know she exists unless I directly tell her she is allowed to."

"Light's great with kids," Soichiro said, "I'm sure they would get along."

"Kira suspect, remember? Oh, and while we're on that topic, if I ever end up leaving the investigation on extremely short notice and the data deletes, it means I have reason to believe Kira knows the name and face of my daughter. Basically, I'm saying that if it happens, Light Yagami is Kira with only 1% of doubt in the event the Second Kira is around."

He saw the horrified looks from the task force and noticed Adelina had run over to Matsuda. He felt a sickening feeling of jealousy towards Matsuda, before remembering she needed more social interaction than just her mother. She wasn't him, where a handful of people for life was just fine.

OoOoO

To the surprise of nobody at all, Light agreed wholeheartedly to join the investigation. L had also permitted Adelina to, as subtly as possible, get a look at Light's face when he wasn't looking, to see if it was a thing with the camera angles that prevented her from seeing his lifespan. Even if she couldn't, what would it prove? He had no idea, but this was more out of curiosity than anything else. They had spent the previous night practicing how for her to hide behind the door but still see his face, and slip away fast enough so L couldn't see. Make it seem like a game, and she excelled.

He shook Light's hand, "Thank you, Light."

"Not at all. Ryuga," Light said happily, "We both want to catch Kira."

"Please call me Ryuzaki here. I will call you Light here. Now to business." He sat Light down, and out of the corner of his eye saw Adelina getting a look at Light's face. He successfully hid his smirk as she gave him a thumbs up that she had the info, making sure Light's attention was on L's own face, "Take a look at our current information on Kira. I also want you to examine this video, which was sent to the television station but was never released to the public. Taking any material from this room or taking notes is forbidden."

"I understand."

"We shall now begin."

They watched the tape, and L noticed the tiniest of changes on Light's face, probably seeing what terrible quality this video had but afraid to say anything about it lest it makes him seem more suspicious. Actually, if Light did point it out, it would make him less of a suspect if he had no fear to straight-up admit it. L himself had watched this multiple times and had noticed the poor quality. If Light actually was Kira, he was probably feeling deeply insulted to his core right now that the world thought _this_ was him. 

"Light, what do you think? Did you get something from it? Hmm?" Light was silent for a moment before turning to face him.

"There is a good chance that this is not the Kira we've known. Up to now, Kira's never used suspects like these for his announced killings. And if Kira needs a face and a name to kill, isn't it strange that he was able to kill the detective and officers who happened to rush to the television-station building?"

"That's right, Light." L brightened, but actually, this meant nothing, because it was possible Light was calling out the imposter because he now had a grudge, or had realized the second Kira had crossed the line between vigilante and villain much more noticeably. With the original Kira, killing the FBI agents was an act of self-preservation, which put him on the darker side of morally grey. However, this Kira was killing innocents left and right, meaning that line had been crossed and was evil or genuinely too stupid to see the difference. "I also think we are looking at a second Kira."

"I thought so. So you knew, Ryuga—I mean Ryuzaki? Did you test me, knowing that?"

"I didn't test you." Lie. "It's not convincing if I'm the only one who thinks there is a second Kira. With you coming to the same conclusion as I did, my theory becomes more believable. You've been of great assistance to me, Light. Thank you so much." He straightened a little, walking into the other room and gesturing for Matsuda to come in. Adelina was playing dolls with him, and she understood why he had to go and work, but L also noticed that her understanding of this was now beyond the no ice cream threat. Something had changed, and she seemed to actually be anxious about Light. "So, it's decided. We first have to stop the second Kira. He obviously sympathizes with Kira and is not very bright. I think he'll obey the real Kira. So if we make a fake message from the real Kira, there is a good chance that we can stop him."

"As I expected of you, Ryuzaki, it's like you stole the words out of my mouth." Light sounded friendly, so L decided to see if that would last with the next thing he said,

"Light, I would like you to play the part of the real Kira."

"M-Me?"

Yes. With your genius, you should be able to do it. At any rate, we don't have any time to waste. Could you script a message from Kira to air on tonight's news? 

While Light worked, L snuck in to visit Adelina while locked in a bathroom, "Did you see his numbers?"

"No, Mommy." Adelina looked up at him, blinking innocently, "What does that mean?"

She couldn't see Light's lifespan. Why? Well, to answer that, L needed more answers on what this power was. He knew Beyond Birthday didn't know where they came from, having said so repeatedly both during his trial and their childhoods.

"I don't know what that means. And before you try to call your father behind my back, he doesn't know either." She had yet to try that, but he knew she had been thinking about it as it became more and more apparent that her eyes would be useful during this case.

"Would Daddy help the case?"

"No. Your father would make things worse."

Then Adelina had a mischievous look, "Light seems to like you." L already knew where this was going. He picked her up, bouncing her, knowing he would need to check on said suspect in a couple minutes.

"Ah, but see, the world is a place where the villains wear a smile on their face. That is something your father detailed explicitly."

"When I'm big, can I meet Daddy?" She asked. L always knew this day was going to come. If he refused, she would start rebelling and go find Beyond herself, and it would create a damper in their relationship. On the other hand, _serial killer_!

"Alright, how old would you say is bigger?"

"Two."

"Eighteen." 

"Three."

"Sixteen."

"Five."

"Thirteen."

"Seven."

"Ten." Adelina pondered that offer that L already regretted suggesting. Ten years old... little over eight years from now... that would give him a decade worth of time to not have active hatred for Beyond, so maybe they could have a decent conversation for the good of their child.

"I'm okay with ten." She shook his hand, but already he was thinking of dozens of "unforeseen circumstances," to delay this.

He kissed her forehead, "Now, I'm going to talk with Light. Remember the rule?"

"Don't let Kira see me." She recited, and he nodded, patting her head.

"Good girl." He walked out the door and gaped when he realized Matsuda had been listening in, judging by the way he stumbled when the door opened. "How much of that did you hear?"

"I thought her mother was dead, and that was why she called you Mommy." Matsuda said, "But her other parent is known to her, and she's chosen to switch it up?"

"Serial killer." Was all L said, not wanting to talk about what really happened with Matsuda when he really needed to see how Light had come with the script. The revelation was shocking to Matsuda,

"You were with a—"

"It wasn't like that before our daughter was born. No, I was not in a relationship with a murderer, we broke it off when things changed for the worst." He then walked off before Matsuda started asking more questions, already in a foul mood when the inevitable conversation had happened. Roger was right, having smart kids was the _worst_! He'd thought he would have at least another four years until he was making deals with her involving B. 

As he saw it, three crucial factors in it happening now. They were the fact Adelina's eyes were becoming more and more involved in the case; seeing Mr. Yagami with his own son, and the fact Beyond's supposed heart attack at Kira's hand had gotten him out of prison and in a position where he could be a part of her life.

So his irrational brain told him Light was the source of all his issues at the moment. But he knew that was ridiculous even if Light was Kira, so he went to Light with a perfectly stoic expression.

"Ryuzaki, is this all right?" Light asked, handing him a script, "I think I've portrayed Kira convincingly." L read it over, smiling a little since he knew Light had been the perfect candidate for this.

"I think this is very good, though if we don't omit the part which says, 'you are free to kill L,' then I'm going to end up dead." Light merely laughed in response to that,

"Well, when pretending to be Kira, I thought that he would demand that you be killed. You can change that to whatever you like." Then he frowned, "Ryuzaki, I actually wanted to ask you something. Since I met you, you've been spacing out, almost seeming distressed about something. Is there anything I can do to help, or is the case just getting to you?"

Shit! Light had been noticing his worries. He narrowed his eyes, letting his foul mood show a little bit. "It's just the case being a source of stress. Nothing for you to worry about." 

But... somewhere in the back of his mind, the part that wasn't sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was just Light trying to find weak points and exploit them for his own nefarious schemes, he felt touched by the concern. Light was undoubtedly a good actor, actually sounding worried for L's wellbeing.

Light smiled a little, "I know we don't know each other all too well yet, but you can talk to me about anything troubling you, and I'll try to help."

L felt butterflies in his stomach and instantly forced them down into the depths of hell where they belonged. No, human emotion would not help him, and it was evident by the fact Light had caught on to his worry for his daughter when he was away. And his current anger and lousy mood were decreasing his deductive abilities, he did not need sudden bubbly feelings to make it worse!

He forced a shy smile as most people would when given that kind of offer, "I'll think about it."

OoOoO

A couple days later, L and Light were working on the investigation together, and L could _feel_ the smirk from Matsuda. It seemed Adelina had gotten him on the "Light would make a suitable new partner for L" bandwagon. But as long as the only slightly older officer didn't try to set up dates, L decided it wasn't his concern what anyone thought.

"Ryuzaki!" He looked to the computer as Watari came up, "It's a reply from the Second Kira. I will bring the entire envelope there, but I shall play a copy on the computer." The video started playing,

"Kira, thank you for your reply. I will follow orders and do as you say."

"Wow! We did it." Matsuda cheered.

"I want to meet you. I don't think you have the eyes, but I won't try to kill you. Please don't worry. Please tell me how I can meet you without the police finding out. When we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other."

L froze, eyes wide, and left eye twitching. He knew there was a look of pure, unadulterated terror on his face as he realized that Adelina and by extent Beyond's eyes were not something that would be useful to Kira but a coincidence, instead a power _directly tied to how Kira killed_.

"I don't think you have the eyes... we can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other."

Adelina... Shinigami... Kira's power... How?! Well... if B could knock him up, clearly he was something supernatural. Did B know? Damn, but if B suspected he would be useful, he might come down to Japan to help and then he would know about Ade—

Unable to take it anymore, added on top of his overall fear at the idea of Kira not being a person, rather an uncatchable God of Death, he screamed, falling out of his chair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aizawa rush to help him, and Matsuda ran into the other room, probably to stop Adelina from running in.

He sat up, eyes wide in horror, "Sh-Shinigami?! Am I supposed to believe that?! Impossible. There's no such thing." But at this point, he knew he was talking more at the task force than himself because he knew the existence of the unknown all too well and already knew it was true. Well, at least the eyes were, he wasn't entirely sure about Shinigami, but at this point, it wouldn't come as much of a surprise.

"That's right, Ryuzaki." Light assured, "Shinigami don't exist." And wouldn't it be amusing if Light was saying that with a Shinigami standing right behind him? If Shinigami really did exist, could only the one granted that power see it?

"Kira had those criminals in prison write something about Shinigami, so shouldn't we assume that this is the same Kira?" Soichiro pointed out, "It's the same person, so they say the same things."

"That can't be, Dad." Light replied as L composed himself and sat back in his chair, mind spinning as he bit down on his thumb, "If this is the same Kira from before, he wouldn't have replied to our video. There is no way that the real Kira would go through the trouble of getting L to appear on TV, only to stop trying to kill him."

"Then maybe the real Kira and the Second Kira already have established a connection and decided to use the word 'Shinigami' to throw off the investigation." Aizawa offered, but L shook his head,

"It's as Light says. If the two Kiras were connected, I don't think that he would stop trying to kill me. The second Kira is acting independently of the first. He wants to meet the real Kira, and his actions are in Kira's interest." Light joined in again, and L felt himself relaxing, glad he could bounce ideas off someone besides his daughter.

"Shinigami probably refers to their killing power. 'We can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other,' probably means 'We can confirm our identities by showing each other our killing power.'" L nodded, already thinking far ahead. He already knew what the eyes were, and that meant the fact Adelina couldn't see Light's lifespan was significant. But at the moment, he needed to focus on this Shinigami idea. Nobody needed to know his own personal interest in this unless it somehow became beneficial.

"That's right. The word Shinigami is a word that has some meaning between Kira and Second Kira. We need to get him to tell us what it means. But I shall leave the rest to Kira and Second Kira."

"Leave it to them?"

"The Second Kira has received a message from Kira and is satisfied. He thinks that he's got Kira's attention." L explained, "And he also used a word that only the two of them would understand. This reply will air today on Sakura TV's six o'clock news. Of course, Kira should be watching the exchange between our made-up Kira and the Second Kira. From Kira's viewpoint, he'll want to prevent the Second Kira from coming into direct contact with the police. Maybe this time, the real Kira will feel pressured to respond."

"But if Kira doesn't?" Soichiro asked, and L put some sugar cubes in his coffee,

"Yes, I thought of what we could do with the Second Kira in that case. But if he reveals more information that Kira doesn't want the police to know, and makes Kira more nervous and furious, to pressure Kira into meeting him." He sent a smarmy smirk in Light's direction subtly, "It would be more interesting if Kira gets scared and sends a reply to avoid that. There's a chance we'll obtain some physical evidence from Kira himself." He turned to the envelope, "In the meantime, let's focus on gathering all the information we can from the Second Kira's package."

OoOoO

That night, L laid awake with Adelina eating some chocolate and watching television. She had asked him about what had made him scream, but he hadn't replied, still trying to wrap his own head around it. The idea of his daughter, and his ex, were connected to the Shinigami somehow. The idea was insane, but was it really?

He noticed Adelina was holding up her chocolate bar to him, smiling a little, "Mommy?" He relaxed, picking her up and resting her on his lap, "Why are you upset?"

"I just found out more about your eyes." She blinked expectantly, "It is something directly tied to Kira's powers." 

"But I'm not gonna be like Kira just because I see things," Adelina said this, almost nervously, urging L to remind her of what he had said before.

"That's right. Actually, I think your eyes are going to solve this case for us, Gummy Bear—that's it!" he gripped her shoulders excitedly, "Ade, we solved it! If your eyes are directly tied to Kira's power, what if you can't see people's numbers when they have Kira's killing power!" Then his smile faded, "Oh... how am I going to use that as evidence without getting you involved?"

"Daddy?" Adelina offered, and L shook his head, then grinning as an idea came to him.

"No, but I have an idea. I need you to tell me the numbers of every single member of the task force. Write them on these pictures." He handed her some pictures of the task force, and she cocked her head.

"Is that helping?"

"Yes, Gummy Bear, that will make you a big help, and we might be able to solve the case." She jumped up, taking a bite of her chocolate after carefully breaking a piece off—unlike Mello, who savagely bit it off. 

"Okay! I want to make sure Mommy's safe!" She hugged his neck, and then ran over to her crayons and started writing numbers on photos, moments later bringing them over for L to read.

Shuichi Aizawa - 28317.

Soichiro Yagami - 932253.

Kanzo Mogi - 662389.

Touta Matsuda - 548192.

What did these numbers translate to? He had no idea, just that Aizawa had noticeably less lifespan than everyone else, and it seemed as if Mr. Yagami was going to outlive them all. But since only Beyond knew how to calculate it, how as he supposed to know? 

He called for Watari to bring some celebratory ice cream cake, and he and Adelina played some games together until they ended up watching a movie cuddled up together until she yawned and began falling asleep, her eyelids drooping.

"I love you, Mommy." L smiled as she drifted asleep. 

But there was a tightening he felt, a part of him that was actually disturbed how this turn of events had led to him potentially being able to arrest and execute Light. It was the right thing to do, both as a detective and as a mother, but he honestly liked Light—in a friendly way obviously. Maybe he would confront Light in secret and say that now was the time to never become Kira again, and we can just take down the second Kira together?

He shook himself. No. Light had already made his choice, and L needed to protect the world and his child. So why did he feel like he was about to make a huge mistake?

He decided to distract himself by picturing Light's reaction to what L was going to do in the morning. If he wasn't going to kill the Second Kira before, there was no way he wasn't going to now...

OoOoO

When the task force, including Light, came in, L was trying to hide his grin. He stirred his coffee,

"Please, sit. I have something I need to tell you concerning last night's tape." They all sat down quickly, and he noticed Light was extremely engaged, and L looked up, "I have something I need to admit. Those eyes that the Second Kira mentioned are not just given to those with Kira's killing power. See, _I_ was born with the ability to see the full name and lifespan of anyone whose face I see."

Of all the task force's reactions, L focused on Light's and was not disappointed by the momentary terror, dread, and fury he saw on his suspect's face.


	8. Chapter 8

"What?!" Mr. Yagami demanded, "You have those eyes." L nodded, handing each member of the task force a picture of themselves with their numbers.

"Yes. These numbers are your lifespans. No, I am not going to calculate these numbers for you because that would lead to unnecessary existential dread. These numbers remain stationary; this is the number you are born with." He knew this because he had asked Adelina for his own numbers a second time, and since this was months after the first time, he knew that if there was a countdown, there would be a different number. He had memorized his lifespan, and it was still identical, so this was a lifelong number.

Light waited patiently for his own, only to realize he wasn't going to get one, "What about my lifespan?"

"Here's the thing, Light. I can't see your lifespan. Originally I didn't think much of it since it's not like I've met anyone else with this power to confirm what that means. But now that I know it's directly connected to Kira's power, I can safely say you are the prime suspect for this investigation." He saw the panic on both father and son's faces, and L noticed Light was genuine in his confusion. So he added an assurance, "Remember that I don't know much about this ability, so perhaps Light-Kun cheated death at some point? Mr. Yagami, when your wife was pregnant, were there any issues?"

"Light had the umbilical cord around his neck, and there needed to be an emergency c-section," Soichiro replied faster than L had expected, making him somewhat suspicious. However, perhaps he had instantly recalled a moment that might explain away Light's nonexistent lifespan. And while it was possible that Light was supposed to have died then and miraculously cheated death, essentially a dead boy walking, L was much more inclined to believe the connection of their powers had something to do with it.

"Well, regardless, I hope, Light-Kun, that you find it reasonable with the clear connection between Kira's ability and my own that I see a reason to suspect you. If you aren't Kira, you should have nothing to fear."

"I..." Light looked down, and he almost seemed on the brink of crying, and it was apparent the stress was really getting to him. L felt smug, making Kira freak out, but another part of him wanted to give Light a hug since he looked like he was going to fly to pieces at any second. "I want to know why I don't have a lifespan. What does it mean? I know I'm not Kira... but is it possible I'm Kira subconsciously?" 

Was that possible? Seeing the events of what the second Kira did, L doubted it, but maybe... after all, the eyes were most likely a dominant Trait. However, L had no way to prove that one way or another unless he planned on having more children with Beyond, which opened a whole different can of worms. If these Traits were actually genetic mutations of the sort, something involving brain capacity perhaps, it would likely be a recessive trait, meaning that L himself was a carrier. Well, he couldn't really gauge how this passed down since he had been the first guy to lug a child around in his stomach for nine months.

If this was a recessive Trait, B just got unlucky, and L himself being a carrier meant that it made sense for their child to have the ability. And that would give Light the potential that getting this power was purely by chance. If Light was just a carrier for the gene, it was possible only those with homozygous recessive could control it, but heterozygous had it on a subconscious level.

However, if it was a dominant trait, L had no idea what to make of it since clearly, neither of his parents had it. Meaning that the eyes might have been genetic, but the killing power wasn't.

Honestly, he wanted to know more than anything about how Kira killed. Was it really as psychic as the media made it seem?

"Hold on," Aizawa seethed, "If you can see lifespans, you knew Ukita was going to die and did nothing!" This initiated the expected rage and questioning from the task force, but L had prepared for this. And even if he was lying and got it wrong, Light would be unable to disprove anything without revealing himself.

"No, I didn't know. Ukita was supposed to live for many more years. This means Kira's power can cut someone's lifespan short. Maybe he takes that remaining lifespan for himself to add to his?"

"That's terrifying." Matsuda said, "You really have no way of knowing who Kira is going to kill?"

"No. If these people were meant to die, I would have been able to predict Kira's killings instantly, but there is nothing I could have done to stop it."

"If Kira is stealing lifespan," Light piped up, "Does that mean he's trying to gain immortality?"

"I really don't want to think of that possibility," L replied, "Because that's going to make it even harder to catch him. A life sentence only lasts eighty years, so eventually, Kira would be free, and its clear execution wouldn't work. But if this was the case, why would Kira have changed his MO to kill those FBI agents if he has no fear of death?" As L spoke, he noticed tenseness in Light, as though L was alarmingly close. So he decided to change the subject, "Oh, there's also another message from the Second Kira. This time it's a video and a diary. I thought I'd tell you."

This brought some normalcy to the conversation, but eventually, Soichiro became worried about Light. Of course, being the prime suspect would do something like that to a person, but it got to a point it was clear Light couldn't stop his own trembling no matter how hard he tried. L said nothing, but if Light fainted or started throwing up, he would do something.

After a bit, Light managed to calm himself enough that he could speak without stammering, offering to go to Aoyama with Matsuda. It was also decided among them that the second Kira was so stupid it hurt—L had a feeling it hurt Light a whole lot more and might kill the second Kira with his hands. Regardless, there was no way in hell Light would work with the second Kira after this unless it was as a fall guy.

Once Matsuda and Light left, L called him to make sure to keep an eye on him. And then he was alone with Aizawa, Mogi, and Soichiro.

"Your daughter has the eyes too, doesn't she?" Soichiro asked, and L nodded, whispering to them all,

"She doesn't know the numbers are lifespans. I will murder you if you tell her." Then he raised his voice, "A, you can come out now." Adelina ran out, running in a way only a toddler could. Aizawa stared at the child,

"That explains how she knew Matsuda's first name. It's always bothered me." L nodded, picking her up,

"That's right."

"Is my son really Kira...?" Soichiro asked pitifully, "He would never... could the power really be subconscious?"

"I suppose it could be, we know very little about it. However, the second Kira is in full control. I have humored the theory that the FBI agents were victims of the second Kira instead of the first." Lies, but he was saying it to comfort the chief since a distressed father wouldn't be helpful and might even start destroying evidence to protect his son. L would be a hypocrite if he said he wouldn't do the same thing if Adelina was Kira. Adelina would still be grounded until she died, but he wouldn't let her be imprisoned or executed.

"How are we supposed to figure out which Kira did which kills?" Mogi asked, and L pondered it.

"We knew the second Kira has been active since at least April 13th. It is possible the second Kira believed the original would make the first approach towards the subject, and he simply didn't, so the second Kira decided to take a more direct approach and seemingly give Kira no choice. But still, the real Kira hasn't responded. Added onto the fact the second Kira has now shown me a use for my eyes," he smiled to Adelina, who was very much enjoying watching him play pretend. "I'm sure that, assuming both Kiras are conscious and in control of their actions, the first Kira is going to murder the second."

"Are you going to reveal you have the eyes?" Aizawa asked, "In a broadcast. If Light isn't Kira, that would mean the first Kira is unaware. We might be able to turn the two Kiras against each other, so one reveals information about the other and their power in exchange for a pardon."

"That is a possibility."

"Mommy, can we keep Light?" Adelina asked, and L stared down at her with a bemused look, "He might be doing sub..." she struggled for a moment to say that word before giving up, "accidentally. He might be good!"

It wasn't that simple. But again, worried father was in the room with him, so he just smiled, holding her close, "Maybe. When we do apprehend one or both Kiras, I want to try some tests and see how they kill."

"You're not experimenting on my son, even he is Kira!" Soichiro roared, but L was perfectly calm,

"In the case of Light, I would only test less harmful options and only with his consent. The second Kira isn't so lucky, but I doubt you would care about that. Are we all settled now?" Nods all around, "Good."

OoOoO

Eleven days later, a message from the second Kira came in, and L knew that Light was either going to jump out a window or go into an uncontrollable ballistic rage. Or both. 

"I have found Kira. To all of the people at the television station and the police, thank you very much."

_If this is true, the only thing that corresponds to this tape being mailed on the 23rd is the 22nd in Aoyama, Matsuda, and Light Yagami are the only ones from this investigation that went to Aoyama._

"He found him? That's not good." Aizawa said, but L chuckled,

"And now we know for sure that the first is going to murder the second. I wonder what would happen if Kira told the second one about how royally that screw-up of mentioning the eyes was. Light, I hope you don't mind, but I am going to assume the second Kira found you, with your lack of lifespan, meaning you are going to be used as bait. We are going to lure the second Kira into a trap. But that will take days to set up."

"A trap?" Light asked, and L nodded,

"I'm not telling you any of the details, but either you will be proven innocent, or we catch the second Kira. For you, this should be a win-win. But again, that will be in days from now. I'll start setting up preparations."

OoOoO

Light was in his bedroom, pacing and trying not to panic. L had the eyes, it was over, he was going to be imprisoned and executed, and his perfect world would never come to pass! All because the second Kira was an _idiot_!

A dark part of his brain said he should kill himself before L gets the chance to execute him. But while that would prove his innocence since Ryuk was bound to give the notebook to another, that would do nothing for him if he was _dead_.

He was pulled from his semi-suicidal and panic-ridden thoughts when he heard Sayu calling for him, extremely happy for some reason, which just made Light angry. He had been barely able to keep anything down for two weeks now, so he was basically hangry and somewhat nauseous all the time.

Light walked downstairs, getting hit by another dizzy spell as he went down, and saw a girl at the door, and he stepped outside to see what she wanted.

"I am Misa Amane. I thought you might be worried if you were watching TV." She said, "I just couldn't take it anymore." She held out a notebook—a Death Note, and when Light touched it, he saw a Shinigami. 

Fury, unlike anything else he had ever experienced, coursed through him, supercharging every nerve, and he felt he might explode if he didn't at least slap her. This was the first time in his life he felt motivated to hit a woman.

He forced himself to pretend to be calm as he walked up the stairs with her. But once they were alone, he whirled around, and his fist was a centimeter away from effortlessly breaking her jaw. He stopped himself. This was precisely what L wanted. Through gritted teeth, he spoke,

"You...fucking...moron!" Misa seemed surprised,

"What are you talking about?"

"You revealed private information about us, and now I'm going to be captured and executed!" He shrieked, "L was born with the Shinigami eyes, and he didn't know the connection between them and Kira's power, but now because he can't see my lifespan, I am the prime suspect! And you told everyone you had found Kira the day I was in Aoyama, any second now the police are going to bring me in!" His voice had gone up an octave, and tears actually fell down his face due to how enraged and terrified he was. "You ruined everything!"

"It's true," Ryuk said to Misa's Shinigami, "L was able to perfectly show the lifespans of the task force." The other Shinigami was clearly shocked,

"Someone born with the eyes is very dangerous indeed. I didn't think it was even possible anymore."

"Light..." Misa was clearly horrified, and Light wondered if L could even be killed if he was born with a Shinigami's power. She got down on her knees before him, "I'm so sorry. I wanted to thank you for avenging my parents' deaths, but now I've led the police right too you!" She brightened, "Make me your girlfriend, and I can see L's name and kill him."

"But how do we know he even can be killed?!" He decided to ignore the girlfriend request since he could actually feel the noose tightening around his neck. He took a step back and took deep breaths, "Alright... we can salvage this... Misa, I need you to give up ownership of the Death Note and never see me again."

"What?! But I came all this way and gave up half my lifespan to find you!"

"And in the process may have damned me to the gallows. Misa, don't you care about the perfect world I plan to build? I need you to give up ownership of your notebook, as though you are unrelated to me in every way, and I have a plan."

Misa seemed to think about this for a moment, before nodding, "Alright. I'll leave and renounce my Death Note." She handed him the notebook, and turned to leave, but then looked back at him, "Promise me, Light, that you will find me again, and we can get married."

"You're lucky I'm not snapping your neck right now. Count your blessings." Light replied, "I'm saying we must never see each other again for your safety too. Try to understand." He quickly ushered her out the door, and waited twenty minutes when Rem came back,

"Light Yagami, what are you planning?" 

"L can't see my lifespan, meaning I can never give up my notebook. Misa is too stupid to hold her own, and there is a chance L will still capture her. L planned to lead her into a trap, which will hopefully not succeed if she doesn't remember me being Kira." He had to work fast because, at any second, L could give him the call saying whatever plan he had in store was ready. He held up the notebook to Rem, "Take this to someone who lusts for power. They will use the Death Note to satisfy those urges."

"This will protect Misa?" Rem asked, and Light instantly noted that this Shinigami was fond of Misa. He smirked, 

"It should. But killing L would be a _guarantee_ of her safety."

"I would do that, Light Yagami, but if what you and Ryuk say is true and he was born with the eyes, the Death Note cannot kill him." Damnit! Light huffed because now he had to think of a non-notebook-related way to kill the detective. What was he supposed to do, hire a hitman?

He sighed, "Take the notebook to another Kira. That should make sure Misa lives." He decided not to point out the chance L was never going to find Misa. It's better to assume he would spot her lack of lifespan in the surveillance footage and arrest her. This had been fun before; he actually enjoyed L as an opponent, but now L was way too overpowered, and Light was scrambling to protect himself.

As Rem left, Light wrote down one more name in his Death Note to ensure he had all 490 days, then he put it back in his desk, just in time to get a call from L that the preparations for this trap were ready. Light sighed, hoping this would prove him innocent now that another Kira would be in the mix.

If he didn't... he had already asked Ryuk to write his name down instead of being executed.


	9. Chapter 9

Light had been staring out the window of his newfound temporary living arrangements. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out how L had done this, but he had managed to create a very amusing trap while also having the opportunity to give Kira a feel for how much he had changed the world.

Light was locked in a building, but he honestly had next to no idea where he was in relation to the task force headquarters or his own house. He had been here for twenty days. 

Because he didn't know where he was, the exit was also a mystery. The first thing that had happened when he got to task force headquarters was being blindfolded and shoved in a car, where they had driven around until eventually, Light lost his sense of direction. It seemed his door was locked in three different places. 

From what he had gathered of L's plan, he had basically taken full advantage of the second Kira's stupidity. He had sent a tape to Sakura TV, specifically for the second Kira, saying L had captured the real Kira. There were many possible outcomes. Either the second Kira would instantly go to save Kira; the second Kira would tell the world and try to make an army to protect Kira, or Demegawa would peak into what it said and announce it to the world.

Two of those options, L said, would apparently prove a point to the real Kira, about how his loyal "followers" actually were. Light suspected that was the only reason L actually had a person as the prisoner, as well as to keep Light in confinement.

He did wonder why he wasn't in a cell regardless but supposed the fact that the only evidence L had was some magic eyes had something to do with it.

What he did know about his location was that L had a ton of money. This building was ridiculously high up, and Light had no recollection of any skyscrapers close to where he lived being under construction. And judging by the workers above, this monster of a building wasn't even complete yet.

All things considered, he actually had quite a nice room. He never got any reports about a change in killings, but Ryuk had given him updates while on searches for apples that there had been a brief stop, but things went back to normal pretty quickly.

He frowned when he heard a noise outside the door, and he could have sworn he could have heard a young child's voice.

...

L stood outside the door, Adelina bouncing up and down excitedly. This was by far the worst idea L possibly had to let Light know she existed. Her existence was the thing that could defeat him, for crying out loud! 

And yet, last night, Watari had had a point. Adelina was young, and Matsuda actually needed to help the case and not be on permanent babysitting duty. While L did like Aiber and Wedy and they knew Adelina due to having worked together before, they too would be useful. Adelina was curious and would recognize Uncle Aiber and Aunt Wedy, and would run out and investigate. It was better to tear off that band-aid now, when Light was in confinement, then have her appear out of nowhere, which would make it clear L had been trying to hide her. If Light thought it was just a thing and maybe she was with a babysitter before, he might not realize how dangerous his knowledge of her was.

Well, if worst came to worst, L could always call Beyond and tell him the truth about their child and unleash Beyond Birthday upon Light. But he really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Mommy, come on!" Adelina begged, "Please?" She was dressed in pink jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, and she had both her hands in her pockets, rocking on the balls of her feet, grinning up at him. Her grey eyes twinkled with excitement.

L sighed, knowing now was the ideal time to tell Light, so he opened the door, seeing Light was looking out the window, leaning against the wall, and he was holding a book. Then the probably mass killer looked up at L, "Ryuzaki? I didn't think I would see you for a while. What is it?"

"Your confinement is finished, as it has become clear that at the very least, you are not Kira at least at the moment. Because of this, I am going to offer you the chance to help clear your name and catch the current acting Kira."

Light stood up, "Did you catch the second Kira?"

"Possibly. We captured Misa Amane because she took the tape after we made an announcement that there was a private tape for the second Kira only. However, it is unclear if she's the Second Kira or merely a Kira fangirl with the way she's acting. Seeing as strands of her hair were found with the evidence, it is safe to say she is most likely guilty."

He saw something shift on Light's face, and he cocked his head, "Misa Amane like that model?"

"The same one. Are you going to help with the case?" Light nodded eagerly, and L turned towards the door, "A, you can come out now." Adelina ran in, "Light, I need to introduce you to someone if you are going to be a long-term member of the task force. You will know her as A, nothing more. She is my daughter."

He noticed Light's eyes go wide, shocked, "You have a daughter?!" Adelina waved up at Light, jumping up and down,

"Hi!" She reached up to L, who picked her up, 

"You and I are going to be together 24/7, so as you can see, revealing her to you is a necessity since it's unreasonable to ask her to not see me for as long as this takes."

Adelina made eye contact with Light, grinning at him and waving. Light waved back, still clearly a little shocked. Then he frowned,

"What did you mean by 24/7?"

L pulled out the handcuffs, "I don't like this any more than you do." He set Adelina down, about to apply the cuffs, only to find she was holding his phone, which was now ringing. L picked it up, realizing it was Roger. He looked between his daughter and his suspect, wincing, "I'll be right back." He stepped out, closing the door, "What is it?"

_"Ryuzaki, please, get back here now. Your boyfriend is driving everything to hell. Mello is more of a rebel than usual, Near is actually social with someone, and I'm sure he's perched outside the door right now. He's a nightmare, demanding to know where you are and what we've all been hiding. Can't you just tell him about her already?! He has a right to—"_

L heard a door burst open and already knew who was about to pick up the phone, _"Her?! Who?! Don't tell me you have a girlfriend, you and I both know you are gay as hell."_

"Maybe your betrayal changed that," he hissed, hoping fervently that Roger's screw up wasn't going to...

_"I'm coming down there right now, and you and I are going to talk."_

_Damnit, Roger._ "Fine. You can come to where I am," L replied smugly, "But not only will you have to find me, but Watari won't let you in. Also, you have to pay for a plane ticket all by yourself."

 _"Do you really think that will stop me, Lawlipop?"_ B taunted, _"I got from California to here."_

"Didn't that take three months?"

 _"Yes, but I had made enough money that I can fly to Japan at any time. According to the news, the task force is in the Kanto Region. Shouldn't be too hard to find you then."_ He could practically feel his ex's smirk. 

"B, don't you dare come down here!" L raised his voice a tiny bit, making his point across that this was serious, "There is so much at risk right now, and the last thing I need is personal matters ruining it!" 

L supposed that the aspect of him having the eyes would make the task force a little more able to believe he had been the one to carry Adelina in his stomach for months, but he still didn't want to explain that.

 _"Fine. Just tell me who this 'her' is."_ Now, L knew that if Beyond learned the truth about who the girl was, he would still come down. There was a chance B would want nothing to do with their child, but since when had luck ever been on his side with Beyond Birthday?

Now, to tell him or not to tell him? 

_"This is something big, isn't it?"_ He heard a little fear in B's voice, _"L, you know you can tell me about something important like this, right? If this really is a girlfriend... I'm happy for you. Still coming down to make sure she's worthy of you, but I'm happy for you."_

"B... I can't tell you. And you know why." He was about to hang up, 

_"L, don't you dare hang up!"_

"B, I really need to go. I've left my suspect alone for too long." 

_"You leave your suspects alone in confinement all the time."_ Beyond replied, _"The only reason I can think you could be so determined to keep things a secret from me is if we have a kid. But that's impossible."_ L didn't know how to respond, so he settled on lying. 

"Yeah. That's impossible."

Silence.

 _"We have a daughter, don't we."_ Was Beyond's deadpan response.

"B—" the line went dead before L could even try to deny it. He stared at the phone for a moment, so many emotions running rampant in his mind. The main thing on his mind was the horror of the fact B knew about Adelina. How he was taking that information was something L didn't know, just that the chances of Roger getting out of this unscathed were zero because if Beyond didn't kill him for keeping the secret, L would kill him for calling him and by proxy revealing the secret.

He instantly started dialing Watari, "Watari! He knows! Roger was an idiot, and now Beyond knows the truth." He was practically frantic, not wanting that murderer in Adelina's life as her father. And what if he tried to kill her? L refused to let any harm come to her and—OH SHIT SHE WAS ALONE IN A ROOM WITH LIGHT YAGAMI! He hung up on Watari just in time to hear a scream from Adelina, awakening primal anger as he burst through the door, ready to murder Light here and now. 

But what he saw was _not_ what he expected. 

Light and Adelina were playing Uno, and it seemed Light was being forced to draw a mini-deck in search of a card he could use. Adelina was laughing gleefully, and Light was getting increasingly frustrated, but still smiling.

They were... playing. Adelina's scream had been laughter.

She looked up at him, "Hi, Mommy!" She held up her cards, which were only three, "I'm winning!" L sat down next to her, and saw Light had finally found a card to use and slapped it on the pile,

"Are you having some trouble, Light-Kun?" He taunted, and Light narrowed his eyes,

"She just knew the one color that would screw me over."

"I take it any doubt you had that she's my daughter is gone."

"Yes." Light looked to the handcuffs, "What was the phone call about?"

L tensed, "I learned we're probably going to have an unwelcome visitor. So the handcuffs are postponed, but we are going to still be together the majority of the time. Cameras are in every part of the building, which is constructed, and Watari will be watching you when I am unable."

Adelina looked up with a grin, and it was clear she knew or at least suspected who the visitor would be. "Daddy?" L pursed his lips, before changing the subject,

"Light-Kun, we are also going to be running a couple harmless tests on your brain activity, and see if we can learn whether Kira is a subconscious thing or not and if your lack of lifespan has to do with this at all."

"Does A have the eyes like you do?" Light asked, and L nodded,

"She does." Light's cocoa eyes widened, looking between L and Adelina.

"So, that's why you were considering the possibility of Kira's power being genetic." 

"Yes." He got up, "Now, this building isn't complete, so the three of us are going to be staying at a hotel for a few weeks until it's complete."

Light got up, nodding, "Should I assume that the unwanted visitor is your ex who you don't want to have any custody over her and has chosen the worst possible time to ask for some?"

"You would be correct."

"Well, maybe it's not a bad idea to let A spend some time away from the case." Light said as they all got in the elevator, and L growled at him,

"You know nothing about the matters of my life, Light Yagami. If it was safe for A to be with her other parent, I would have done that by now." That clearly caught Light off guard. 

They left the elevator and started walking outside, when L noticed Adelina had paused and was staring off to the side, "Baby, what is it?"

"I thought I saw something." Adelina said, "Like a big flying monster." She didn't answer this with fear, rather excitement, "But then it was gone." 

L helped her into her car seat, "I'm sure it was nothing, Gummy Bear." But even as he said that he wasn't convinced. 


	10. Chapter 10

Upon getting back to the hotel they were using as task force headquarters, L had Light handcuffed to the leg of a couch as he ordered Soichiro to keep an eye on him. As much as he hated to say it, B coming to Japan was going to be a big issue. The secret about his kid was already blown out of the water—and Roger being partially to blame for Adelina's existence being revealed to the worst possible person just proved why nobody should have known to begin with. 

"What's going on, Ryuzaki?" Matsuda asked, and Watari was the one to speak,

"Ryuzaki's ex is coming to Japan in search of custody of their child," Watari explained, and L nodded,

"Yes. And my ex is _not_ a good person and has no place in A's life. However, I also know that if I don't reveal my location, innocent people will die during the hunt for me. One of you may die—hell, Light is in the most danger if jealousy comes into play."

"I take it you're the one who broke it off," Aizawa said, and L shrugged,

"I consider the betrayal of becoming a serial killer to have been what caused us to break up. So in a way, it both was and wasn't a mutual thing. I didn't even want to tell you, but you have a right to know about the threat to your lives."

"Well, she was captured, right?" Matsuda asked, "Maybe you can reason with her?"

"If I could do that, don't you think I would have by now?" L crossed his arms, "Let me put it this way—if you think _I'm_ stubborn, you haven't seen anything yet." The entire task force tensed at the implication of there being someone worse than L when it came to being stubborn.

"Watari," L turned to his father figure, "Take A and leave. Get far away from here. I can handle the investigation until I get this situation resolved." Watari looked ready to object, and then his eyes widened,

"You plan to bring B here."

"Yes. However, I have no plans of dealing with my Kira and second Kira suspects, and my serial killer ex." He looked to Mogi, "Make sure to acquire the proper forces to restrain a highly agile and hostile individual."

Mogi nodded, "I am going to need a name and description of her." Shit. _This_ was going to be interesting. 

L simply lifted up his shirt to reveal the scar, "He. My ex is known as Beyond Birthday."

" _WHAT_?!" 

L sat down in a different room, deciding he was going to need to catch up both members of the Yagami family on this. Especially because Light was the one most likely to be targeted if B escaped and went looking for Adelina.

This conversation lasted through a round of cake, and at one point, Adelina came in, also interested, only to be pulled away by Watari.

After that was over, Matsuda was the first to speak, 

"So... I'm guessing it's because you have the eyes that this was possible?"

"I assume something along those lines is the case." L replied, looking towards the window, "Which makes me wonder if those with Kira's power have the same ability, but I have no plans of even considering subjecting Light-Kun to that." L noticed Light had a hand on his abdomen and was clearly worried until L had mentioned having no plans of trying that.

"I suspect you would have continued to let us assume your ex is female if this situation hadn't arisen," Soichiro said, and L nodded,

"Yes. I had been hoping to keep A's existence a secret altogether, but as you all saw, that didn't work too well. By the time Light-Kun was brought in as an official member of the task force, it was pointless to hide her. And then, moments later, B managed to figure out that we have a child."

"So, he didn't know at all." Aizawa looked up, "I understand why you never told him, but he did just learn he's been a father for however long it's been."

"She's close to two, right?" Light said, "I remember I was curious about you and looked up some of your previous cases, and Beyond Birthday was arrested August 22nd, 2005. And she does seem closer to two than younger one."

"I am not going to answer that. You already know too much by A's very existence and circumstances of her birth." He saw his phone start ringing and heard it was Adelina,

_"Mommy, Watari says I have to go. Why do I have to go?"_

L stood up, "Light-Kun, you're coming with me. Mogi, I'll see if I have any old photos of him to give you. Until this blows over, ask me to show you my scar every time you see me—during the LABB case, he pretended to be me and looked almost identical."

"That's..." Matsuda looked worried, "I'm assuming he wasn't always like this."

"No. And what made him this way is another thing I am not going to tell you. _He_ might tell you, but I won't." He dragged Light along by the wrist, and he was curious.

"You mentioned I was in danger. Why?"

"I don't want him getting the wrong idea. I may need to put you in more unpleasant confinement—and I will have you know my daughter is the reason your isolation was as relaxed as it was. But now, for your own safety, it would be best for you to be locked up again."

"And be a sitting duck for your crazy ex to come and kill me?" Light asked, "No, thanks. I would rather have a fighting chance." L looked him up and down,

"Trust me, Light-Kun. If he comes for you, unless you've trained to fight him, you're screwed without an armed guard. But then again, you having an entourage would make him think I care about you, which would put you in danger."

He opened the door to Adelina's room and saw Watari was helping her pack her bag, and it was clear she had no plans on doing it as she was sitting on the floor holding her stuffed cat and watching Watari with a defiant expression.

"Mommy!" She got up, running over and hugging his leg. "Why do I have to go?" She looked to Light, blinking a few times. "I wanna stay. He can see me now!"

"Gummy Bear," L looked down at her, "I don't expect you to understand. But you are in danger, and it's not from Light. Someone found out about you who really shouldn't have, and now I can't have you here for your safety."

"Daddy?" She asked.

L hesitated. If she learned it was her father, she would want to stay. But... maybe he could twist this to his advantage,

"Yes, it's your Dad. But he's very mad right now, and I don't want you around him when he's like that. If all goes well, maybe I will let you two meet by video call, but I don't know how he is taking the news that you exist. I don't want him to hurt you, Gummy Bear."

After a moment of contemplative silence, Adelina's eyes met his, and her expression was clearly concern, "Daddy won't hurt _you_ , right?"

L hesitated, before ruffling her hair, "I don't know if he wants to. But I do know he isn't going to succeed even if he tries. Okay?"

Adelina nodded, hugging his neck, "I love you, Mommy. I can come back soon, right?"

"Hopefully, baby." He smiled, "I'll call you every night and read until you go to sleep, okay? But you have to be good for Watari." He internally winced, because this would be the first time not having Watari around to bounce ideas off of or being a constant support. If he didn't know there was a high chance this ended in a bloodbath, he would have let her stay, but his worst nightmare he was sure would haunt him was the idea B would take her and run. 

She hugged his neck, and Light sat down, watching the interaction with curiosity in his eyes. When L saw it in his peripheral vision, he could see the gears turning in the teen's head, and he already knew that the risks of revealing her were coming to pass. What was Light thinking right now?

...

_Alright, how many fucking people are born with Shinigami eyes?_

That was what Light Yagami was thinking. He remembered the Beyond Birthday case, and he did remember being doubtful about this man's actual name being that but had still written down the name. Even if this individual wasn't born with the eyes like L, he was _something_.

And if this individual was a fraction as dangerous as the case files had said, and now knew he was a father who hadn't been given even the knowledge of having a daughter, Light knew the next few weeks were going to be hard.

He also noticed that Ryuk wasn't in the room, and actually seemed to be somewhat afraid of this kid. But why would he be worried about A when he wasn't about L? Was it possible her eyes were more reliable than L's?

He had played with the idea that L was lying about having the eyes and was taking advantage of his daughter's ability, but the fact a man had been able to carry a healthy child said there was something weird going on here. Either L had the power, or Beyond did. Light remembered reading something about Beyond Birthday having a psychological issue, but it hadn't specified.

That meant that one or both of the girl's parents had the eyes, and that was really gonna screw him over. Even if he got lucky and L didn't, and therefore his connection to Shinigami eyes would vanish with his daughter gone, adding in Beyond made things so much harder.

He needed to speak to Rem about this. Ryuk clearly knew jackshit, but Rem seemed to know enough that she might be able to reveal how this trait was passed and how it came to be in the first place. And then there was the factor that Ryuk's apparent fear of A made it all the more clear that she did have the eyes. Meaning that she couldn't be killed—and she was in no way over 780 days old, as proven by the fact Beyond hadn't known he was going to be a father. Even if he was generous and assumed she was born within a couple days of his arrest and he had just not been in L's life through the pregnancy, that still made her 22 months old and, therefore, nowhere close.

So while Light had a feeling L was seeing revealing her existence as a massive risk because Kira might threaten her, the child was actually safe even if Light would go so far as to harm a little girl—which was a line he had no interest in crossing.

Now he had to figure out how to figure out which of the two parents had the eyes, and how he could twist this, so he doesn't end up on the receiving end of a knife. And he had to get rid of L in a way that made him blameless.

Step 1: Figure out the relationship between L and his ex. Does Beyond want him back? Does he want to kill him?

Step 2: Turn the two against each other, so Beyond kills L.

If he got that far successfully, maybe he could give a page of the Death Note to A, who would use her eyes to see the real name of her father and write his name—assuming he wasn't the one with the eyes. So really it would all be a matter of guesswork and hoping he got lucky.

This plan was risky, and he was pretty sure it was going to bite him in the ass. So that meant he had to make a better plan. And then another problem reminded him of its presence.

L mentioned having captured Misa earlier, and it didn't matter who had the eyes, Rem was still gonna kill him if he didn't get her out of this. But in his defense, he had genuinely thought erasing her memory would solve everything.

He watched A start packing her bags, and L was smiling as she did so. 

"So is the Kira case on the back burner until this whole thing with your ex is resolved?" Light dared to ask, and L turned, 

"In a sense. I will still be observing you, and you are to have no access to television and media. Amane will remain in confinement where she is since there is much more substantial evidence against her. Just to be safe, I am going to say you are a coworker, not a suspect because the reports say Beyond Birthday died of a heart attack, which he clearly didn't. On the off chance he just survived it, since after all, it is unknown if people can survive Kira's attacks or not, I don't want him to kill you. Because even if you are Kira," he shuddered, not bothering to finish the sentence.

Light hadn't thought about that. He knew there was no way people could survive, which meant that either Beyond had managed to fake it or he had the eyes, and it rendered him immune. Light's worst nightmare was the idea the little family _all_ had the eyes, and that was what brought Beyond and L together in the first place.

"Ryuzaki, what are you going to do with him when he arrives?" Light asked as they walked out of the room, and L opened multiple computers and was looking at countless security cameras, especially around the airport, and was calling people for favors. 

"Imprison him." L replied, "I trust _you_ more than I trust him."

"And yet you slept with him." Light cursed himself as the sheer amount of frustration he felt started seeping into his behavior. At this rate, he might have to give up the notebook and risk it. Maybe...

He wondered. If Beyond _did_ try to kill him, maybe he could give up the notebook then? It was all about trying to find a reason for his lifespan to suddenly appear. Nobody on the task force knew why it was gone...

Again, these plans were risky, and being at the mercy of a serial killer didn't sound fun. But he needed to take risks, or he would find himself walking to the gallows. He hadn't slept well in a while, so for the sake of his mental health, getting rid of the notebook would be best. That, and he felt almost like he was getting withdrawals from not using the Death Note for nearly a month.

He took a deep breath, seeing the look that L was giving him. If looks could kill, Light would be dead many times over. He forced himself to relax, "Ryuzaki, I know you don't trust me, but if you need someone to talk to, I can try my best to help."

His mind wandered when L just narrowed his eyes and went back to typing. He decided to look at things from the perspective of both. In Light's mind, L was entirely in the right for having hidden their daughter's existence from Beyond. However, he could also see why Beyond would be angry and think he had a right to at least know.

"If it makes you feel any better, Ryuzaki, I think you were right to hide her existence from him."

"Light-Kun, I know you're just trying to be helpful, but please, not right now." 

"That's fair."

OoOoO

It was two days later when L got the call from Mogi that Beyond Birthday was in custody and had been unusually compliant. Light was locked up in a different building, but L hadn't seen a problem with putting Beyond in the same building as Misa.

Just in front of the door, he hesitated, unsure if he was really ready to talk to Beyond in person again after years. 

Well, he should be in a straitjacket and restraints to make movement impossible, so at least there was that. He was still going to be on the other side of bars, even after he opened this door, so there was no need to be worried.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.


	11. Chapter 11

L stared at B. B stared back at him.

Neither said a word as they took in the appearance of the other. Alongside a straitjacket, Beyond was chained everywhere—around his neck, his ankles, and his waist. And L knew better than anyone that his ex could escape all of that without even trying.

He was _choosing_ to stay locked up like this.

"Where is she?" He asked, and L blinked, refusing to speak. Beyond's skin was back to its regular rosy tint, and his hair back to brown. He winced, seeing the visible burn scars creeping up B's neck, not quite reaching his face but close. The physical proof of that betrayal. "Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about our daughter."

"I never said I didn't know who you were referring to." L said in his usual monotone voice, only this time, it was much more forced to hide his heavy breathing, having never wanted this confrontation to happen, especially not so soon.

B glared, "Where is she?"

"I don't know." He answered, "I told a trusted ally to take her far away and not even tell _me_ where she is. So no matter what you do to me, you will not learn _my_ daughter's location."

"And what gives you the right?" B snapped, struggling against the restraints, "To not only refuse to give me a chance to meet my daughter, but _Roger's mistake_ was the thing to reveal to me that she exists!"

"I have the right because I am her mother, and you abandoned your chances of being in her life." He replied as calmly as he could, but it seemed to make Beyond hysterical as he laughed,

"And when did I ever refuse being involved?"

L narrowed his eyes, "I wonder when, B, _what a mystery_." There were so much sarcasm and venom in those last three words that it was almost tangible, and it felt weird coming off his tongue.

"Well, how was I supposed to know I was going to be a father?!"

"That's not the issue here! Our daughter shouldn't be the only thing stopping you from going on a murder spree and then planning to commit suicide!" L relaxed, sitting down, "B, I'm not blaming you for not being there while I was pregnant. I get it. You were grieving, and honestly, I was content to give you space until I found out, and I thought you had a right to know. However, you have proven otherwise by stealing my identity, horrifically killing people, and then trying to burn yourself alive; all to get back at me for—for what, B?!"

Beyond had listened, and looked away bitterly, "You wouldn't understand. But I'm not here to argue with you about the past. I came here to meet my daughter."

"Well, too late. I have no plans to let you see her."

"You're not going to be able to keep me away from her forever."

"Oh dear, am I being challenged?" B rolled his eyes,

"If we need to engage in a custody battle, Sugar Cube, I will. But we both know you don't want the nature of her birth to be known." 

"No shit! If anyone in America finds out, both her and I will be science experiments! And I'm not even going to get into my own questions on the whole situation."

"I'm as in the dark as you on that." B shrugged as best he could with the straitjacket on. "Well, seeing as our child clearly inherited my eyes, and you sending her away means you have lost access to a valuable asset, _I_ could always help you with the case. Speaking of which, what did you name the little munchkin?"

"You can know her as A, just like everyone except myself and Watari." He saw B visibly tense,

"You referenced him when naming her." It was a quiet whisper, but then he brightened with a lopsided grin, "Well, I'm not referring to my child the same way I did my dead friend, so I'll call her Cupcake." He continued to struggle, "Have you made any progress on the case?"

"Plenty of it without your help." He got up, "Misa Amane is in custody on suspicion of being the second Kira, and I have a suspect for the first Kira."

"Hold on, did you say Misa Amane?" L turned when he heard the genuine worry in B's voice, "That's impossible."

"What do you mean?" He watched as B finally revealed that the restraints meant nothing and broke out of them with ease, using his toes and insane flashback-inducing flexibility to unstrap the straitjacket. B stood up with no problem, and L stood straight to make sure he wasn't more than an inch shorter than his ex.

"I mean that Misa Amane should have died March 12th of _this year_." L stared at him from the other side of the bars,

"Are you sure you weren't wrong?"

"I'm sure. I mastered the calculations, and Amane should be six feet under." L hesitated, before grabbing a set of restraints which got tighter the more you fought against them, put them on B's wrists and then used typical handcuffs to make a chain to drag him by like a leash.

He walked into Misa's confinement room and took off her blindfold after putting on a welding mask. He made sure B had seen her face, then put her blindfold back on and dragged him back out, thankful Misa had passed out earlier, "What's her lifespan now?" 

B looked like he had seen a ghost, "Lawlipop, get rid of her. _Now_."

"Why?"

"Look, I don't know what is going on, but not only should she be dead, she has an abnormal amount of life. Now, her current lifespan gives her a decent amount of time left. But her number has changed since I saw it last. From what I know, lifespans don't change. Yours is the same as when I last saw you, and it's been two and a half years, but hers has suddenly given her an extra chunk of time, and she's also a suspect in a case where my eyes are important? I don't think so."

L grinned a little at how he had the evidence to execute her. But would it even work if she still had so much lifespan? "Out of curiosity, what is her number right now?"

"113746." 

"Perfect." He dragged B back to his cell, and B pouted,

"I'm so helpful to you, and I don't even get a thank you?" L narrowed his eyes,

"You're lucky I'm not preparing for you to be hanged." 

"If Kira couldn't kill me, I doubt you could," B replied, smirking, "So as my thanks for my services, I want our daughter's name and to meet her."

L huffed, whispering in his ear, "Her name is Adelina."

"Ah, a name meaning nobility, so fitting for the daughter of L," B winked, running his hands against the bars separating them, "Come on, Sugar Cube, can't we make this easy so I don't need to go find our little princess?"

"If you try to find her, I will make sure you never succeed. You may know how to escape when you have the motivation to do so, but I am one of the most powerful people on Earth. Now, if you excuse me, I have an execution to schedule for Misa Amane." As he began to walk away, B called out for him, 

"You're hiding your suspect for the OG Kira from me. Why?" L turned back, realizing that if Misa was guilty or at the very least highly involved in this case, but she had a visible lifespan, then maybe Light's lack of one was really due to something else.

"Because I am only 7% sure he actually is Kira."

"Ah, so you're almost positive he's Kira, like closer to 93%. Face it, L, I know you too well, you can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me." His natural reddish-brown eyes twinkled with amusement. "So why bother protecting him?" He paused, before glaring, "Does he know about Adelina? L, tell me now."

"No." He left, pretty sure he had been convincing. But the second B was alone, the serial killer ran to the window and watched the car leave, memorizing the route, then he scoffed,

"Doesn't know about her, my ass." He looked to the camera before breaking out of his cuffs and destroying the recording device.

OoOoO

Light had been reading, bored out of his mind, and also a bit depressed for some reason. He was in a sweater and wrapped in blankets, regardless of it being summer now. He had no idea why he just felt like _crap_. He had gotten some neuroscans the other day, so maybe that would provide the answer. Or perhaps he was just coming down with something.

With L's kid gone, Ryuk seemed much more relaxed and took to flying to chat with Rem, who was not happy about the fact Misa had been captured again but acknowledged that Light was not to blame for Misa getting caught. Apparently, the new Kira was a guy named Higuchi. Just the idea of a wealthy and corrupt businessman using Kira's name was sickening, but it was a necessary evil, unfortunately.

It was around nightfall when he heard the door open, and an unfamiliar voice was the one to greet him, 

"Really? _You_ are my rival and the biggest threat to my child? I'm pretty underwhelmed." Light looked up, panicked when he saw a rather attractive individual who could only be Beyond Birthday. Light remembered that face and being intrigued by the case. And he instantly realized that this individual had not only escaped prison and found the task force headquarters where Light was currently the resident—to be fair, this building was so massive that wasn't hard—but he had two large knives. Light sat up, seeing Ryuk had taken the next bus out. 

And Light realized that he didn't need to do anything to make this psycho want to kill him. Turned out him knowing of the kid's existence was enough. Now, what the hell was he going to do?

First things first, use the distress signal in his belt. And surely L was getting a call about Beyond being on the security cameras. 

"Who are you?" Might as well try to buy himself a little time. Could he get to the door and outrun the serial killer? Probably not, even if he wasn't abnormally tired.

"Beyond Birthday, nice to meet you," Beyond gave a creepy grin, "And I've got a murder I-O-U for Y-O-U!" He then lunged, and Light had to jump back, adrenaline kicking in as he discovered that his go-to in fight-or-flight was the latter as he bolted out the door, feeling like a coward for not fighting, but he was also smart enough to know he wouldn't have stood a chance.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where to go except for one hallway, and that was to the elevator, which was not arriving fast enough. He had no choice but to use the fire exit and run down flights of stairs, stumbling a couple times, and each time it happened, Beyond got closer. The serial killer was sliding down the railings to cover more ground, and Light debated his options. Either he escaped the knives of death, or he fell to his death. 

It was a risk worth taking as he slid down, ran to the next, and continued the process, pretty sure he was gonna collapse after this or at least need to lay down to cope with the stress. 

He dully heard himself scream when Beyond threw a pair of scissors with near-lethal accuracy, and it cut through his sweater and the flesh of his bicep, going quite deep. He couldn't check to see if it had gotten stuck in his arm or not as he ran to the door and tried to get it open, only it wouldn't open. Then he realized this door was pull instead of push for some reason that really had to be fixed, and he bolted out the door just in time to see police cars, and he saw his father there. That meant he was safe. His father wouldn't let him get hurt, right?

Well, he wasn't so lucky as he felt something agonizing and sharp pierce his back, and he fell onto his side, dully processing that he had a knife in his back.

...

L cursed himself for thinking for even a second that B had bought it that Light didn't know about Adelina, or letting himself take comfort in the fact that no normal person would be able to locate Light this quickly.

Beyond Birthday was not a regular guy, though. If L was a genius or a freak, then B was that to an extreme. Of course, he would be able to figure it out. Of course, he had gotten his hands on knives.

Light was honestly lucky to have made it all the way to the ground level, and he had almost made it before B threw a knife into his back, and Light crumpled into a heap. Judging by the blood pouring out of his bicep, adrenaline was the only reason Light was functioning.

He ran over to Light's side and was already calling an ambulance, and he heard Light whisper "get rid of it" weakly, and he assumed that Light was referring to the literal _knife_ in his back. Then he passed out.

L glowered in Beyond's direction and noticed that his ex had knocked out every single non-task force officer, Soichiro and Aizawa; currently had Mogi under his foot, and a knife was pointed at Matsuda after having thrown one to disarm the young officer.

"How many knives do you have?!" Matsuda asked from where he was trying to control the bleeding in his hand, and B winked,

"I've got more on me if you wanna go treasure hunting." L didn't want to know where Beyond had gotten the knives. He stood up from Light's side, gesturing for Matsuda to take over on making sure Light was alive.

"And you wonder why I don't want you near our daughter." He sneered, and Beyond crossed his arms,

"Hmm... so you have the balls to attempt lecturing the mighty morphin' murderous fiend as my fellow California inmates took to calling me... and yet you will let Kira live when he could be a danger to our child? Well, I just had to be a good father and fix the problem. Kyeehahaha!" He went to run off, but L reacted faster than he thought possible and grabbed his wrist, squeezing enough that he saw the tiniest of winces.

"Where do you think you're going? I was going to consider maybe letting you help and prove that you're a changed man and worthy of being in her life, but you've clearly blown that chance and are worthy of the death penalty." Beyond just scoffed in response,

"Please, if Kira can't kill me, why would a rope be able to? Besides, would you really be ready to condemn me, Sugar Cube? Don't worry, darling, we'll keep in touch. I'm going to find my daughter now." He broke free of L's grip then looked at Light, then noticed Matsuda was going for his gun again, and Beyond threw another knife directly into Matsuda's palm with superhuman speed. He then turned back to L, "And really? Replace me with him?" He gestured to Light, before vanishing, running off far faster than a human being should be able to, which only proved that he had been playing when giving Light a chance to run.

L looked around at the bloodshed around him, which he had caused by introducing Light and Adelina. Or not simply killing Beyond when he had the chance. What a fool he had been! 

But would this have changed anything if he had acted differently? Beyond would have still found out about Light one way or another and would have gone to any length. So now was not the time to wallow. He got up and started examining injuries.

Countless concussions and that gave L time to be able to avoid the officers. Currently, he was wearing a suit he had thrown on in the car to give the appearance of an FBI agent, and he even had a false badge with the alias of Rue Ryuzaki just in case. But avoiding people was ideal.

He then noticed that Matsuda and Light were the worst injured. The others were simply knocked out, while Matsuda had two knives in his palms from being disarmed or prevented from reaching his gun. That had to be agonizing. Light was still the closest to death, and he was losing a lot of blood.

It was then that the ambulance arrived, and then one of the paramedics got a look for what was going on and called for even more assistance. L took this time to slip away and head to the hotel, icy fury coursing through his veins as he shoved his hands in his pockets, only to find a note, which he read.

_Yagami's lifespan appeared after I stabbed him in the back. It's 93312639._

_Love, B_

Light's lifespan was back? Was it because he was on the brink? L shook himself. That didn't matter. What mattered was a serial killer was out there looking for Adelina.

And L would never let that psycho find her.


	12. Chapter 12

"I want him executed!" Soichiro roared in a rage after regaining consciousness and learning that Matsuda was seriously injured, and Light was on the brink and required blood transfusions. The chief hadn't hesitated to give blood since he had the same blood type as Light. 

L was sitting in a special room in the hospital, which he had paid to let himself and the conscious task force stay in while they waited. "Mr. Yagami, please calm down. Being enraged won't help Light." 

"Calm down?! Your boyfriend went in, stabbed my son and Matsuda, _and_ knocked out countless officers meant to bring him in!"

"Ex-boyfriend," L muttered, even though there wasn't really a point in correcting him. "However, having him executed may not even work. It is possible that Kira simply doesn't have a guarantee of killing his targets, but it is also is likely that he could just play dead and escape. And when B has a motivation, he can break out of anything, as you saw on the footage."

"Well, chain him up even more!" Soichiro Yagami was a desk cop. He never once fired his gun in anger, but right now, he wanted to hunt down the son of a bitch who tried to kill his child and put a bullet between his eyes. "How would you feel if someone tried to kill your daughter?!" 

"I would hunt that person down and make them regret being born." He replied without hesitation, "That being said, I would also learn as much as I can about my enemy and handle the situation with caution. Beyond Birthday is a competent and dangerous individual, meaning that you can't just go in, guns at the ready. If that tactic worked, it would have earlier today."

"How was he captured last time?" Mogi asked, and L sighed,

"He was captured while in the middle of a suicide attempt, half-dead when he was pulled out of the fire by FBI agent Naomi Misora, who went missing months ago."

"So, you weren't the one who made the arrest?" Aizawa asked, and L shook his head,

"No, I was barely able to walk without waddling. All I could do was watch behind a screen, and didn't even know it was him until the arrest."

"I don't envy you," Aizawa muttered, and L nodded,

"You shouldn't. It's very unpleasant." He got on the computer, pulling up a video call, and Watari was the one who answered. Thankfully the video chat was enough to distract everyone except Soichiro from the whole Matsuda and Light are in the hospital thing.

"Hello, Ryuzaki." Watari greeted, "A and I are safe in the current residence. In today's news, she has replaced 'no' for 'oh, no way!' for the foreseeable future."

"She's saying no to you?"

"No, she was offered peanuts." L sighed in relief. Her fiercely rejecting the thing she was allergic to was understandable. Ah, allergies, the worst nightmare of any parent. It had been Watari's idea to get her tested early and had discovered the peanut allergy. It wasn't severe at the moment, but still, something to avoid. 

Speaking of Adelina, she popped up on the screen, "Hi, Mommy!" She held up a spatula, "Watari and me are making cookies!" She licked the spatula covered in cookie dough, and L rolled his eyes, chuckling,

"I'm glad you're having fun, baby. Watari, are you ready to leave the hotel at any time and travel somewhere else?"

"Yes, may I ask a particular reason why?"

"B's looking for her and has shown he won't hold back." Adelina blinked, and it seemed she was sitting on the counter,

"Daddy?" 

"That's right. And I know I promised you could meet your father, but after talking to him, I need to change our deal. You can meet B after he proves he has changed and can be a good influence in your life."

"So, never?" Aizawa asked, and L sent him a look to shut up. Thankfully, Adelina didn't seem to pick up on this, too busy licking the cookie dough off the spatula. L then noticed that she had probably been put in charge of cleaning the spatula and bowl since the oven was running in the background. And obviously, the best way to clean off the cookie remnants when you are a toddler is to use your mouth. 

"I want to meet Daddy," Adelina pouted, and L smiled,

"I know, but this way I can make sure you're safe, and that is the most important thing. But how are you doing?"

"I'm good!" She giggled, "Watari's teaching me to play video games!"

"I figured now was as good a time as any to teach her," Watari said, "Kingdom Hearts, to make sure it's kid-friendly." L smiled, chuckling, and Adelina blinked a few times.

"Where are you, Mommy?"

"I'm..." he then thought of something, "Matsuda had an accident, so we're at the doctor." She thankfully seemed to believe it. She grinned,

"Tell him I say hi!" L nodded,

"I will, Gummy Bear. Well, I was just checking on you two. Have fun."

"We will! Bye, Mommy!" The call ended, and L sighed in relief, 

"And now I can have peace of mind, and she won't call at an inconvenient time." He chuckled, "It's almost her superpower, always knowing exactly the most inconvenient time."

"I think that's just a thing with all children," Soichiro said, deciding to join the conversation and not focus on the fact that Light and Matsuda were badly injured. "Light was the same way."

"Oh, speaking of which," L bit his lip, "Something happened after Light was attacked. His lifespan appeared. Also, I am positive Misa Amane is guilty. However, she has always had a visible lifespan, meaning it appears to be a coincidence and tied to possibly an accident in his youth made his lifespan glitch."

Soichiro sighed in relief, "At least one good thing comes of this. Does his lifespan show he will survive?" L could tell the chief was pleading for the answer to be yes, and Light would be okay. 

"From what I calculated, he should survive." L replied. _I just hope B's interference doesn't change that._

OoOoO

It was hours—and the task force had run out of things to talk about to distract themselves from worrying—before any doctors had come in. Thankfully, Matsuda and Light were both alive. Both were sleeping, bound to be loopy on pain medication, and both couldn't strain themselves. 

Soichiro was staying overnight with Light, and L was lying on his bed back at the hotel, trying to figure out what to do with the time he had all alone. This had not happened since Adelina was born. 

He sighed, realizing he was hungry, and with Watari gone, he wasn't able to just call for sweets, so he put on a jacket and grabbed one of his fake IDs, and walked out to grab something to eat, buying a cake and some macarons before walking back to the hotel.

But then something he hadn't expected. He felt something touch him once he was in the elevator, and he found himself face to face with what he could only assume was a Shinigami.

"L Lawliet," the Shinigami, seemingly female, said, "We need to talk." L tensed, walking into his hotel room.

"What is it?" 

"You plan to execute Misa Amane?"

"Why do you care? And how do you know that?"

"I have been keeping an eye on what has been happening." The Shinigami explained, "And I have come to tell you that if you kill her, I will make your life a misery."

"Can you even kill someone with the same eyes as you?" L asked with a small smirk on his face, and the Shinigami growled. "And why would a God of Death care for a human? Are you the reason she is alive when she should have died in March?" He noticed the Shinigami now tense. 

"Over time, I have developed feelings for her. I was initially hoping you would let her go seeing as she is not involved in any of this, but it doesn't seem to be the case, meaning I must get involved. And even if I cannot kill you, I will do whatever it takes to ensure her safety, including going after your family."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, do you actually have the audacity to threaten him and our family?" 

Both L and the Shinigami turned and saw, to their mutual shock, Beyond Birthday crawl out from under the bed. 

"What are you doing under the bed?" L found himself asking, even though he really should be asking how his ex knew not only what hotel he was at, but also the room and found his way in. Then he noticed the somewhat smeared makeup and realized that he had had his identity stolen again.

"Don't worry about it." Was Beyond's response, as he glared at the Shinigami—which considering the height difference was amusing, and yet somehow B was clearly the one with the most power. "So, what am I supposed to call you?"

"You may call me Rem." Rem said, and Beyond hummed a little, an unstable smirk on his face as he looked back at L, and then put his hands on his hips,

"Listen, Rem, I don't know if you know how humans work, but threatening people to get what you want rarely works. I can promise you this; if you hurt L, I can guarantee Misa Amane will die a slow and agonizing death."

"You're bluffing."

"Am I? If you are so sure, kill me right now."

"B—" L decided to stop this—whatever _this_ actually was—but was stopped by a finger to his lips,

"Don't worry about it. I've got this." He assured, and out of the corner of his eye, L noticed the Shinigami get out a notebook of some sort and write something. 

About a minute passed before the calm look on Rem's face changed to horror, "You..."

"So I was right..." Beyond turned back to Rem, "I am immune to being killed, am I close? So that means there's nothing you can do to stop me from relishing Amane's screams if you harm L or my family. But I'll tell you what, you tell us how Kira kills and tell us who Kira is, I will make sure she doesn't die. Can't guarantee no prison, but surely an immortal being wouldn't see any issue busting her out if needed."

L was about to say something, but he had to admit this was an outstanding deal. Besides, with the amount of lifespan Amane still had, would an execution even work?

And Rem seemed to agree, "I cannot tell you the exact identity of Kira, but search at Yotsuba, and you will find him. As for how Kira kills," she pulled out her notebook, "The Death Note. The human whose name is written in this note shall die." 

L got up and examined the notebook, "Do you need a face too?" Rem nodded, and L grinned. He knew that asking for more details was pushing it, but now he knew what he was dealing with. He really wanted to ask about the no-lifespan thing for Light, but once again knew as Rem started leaving that he wasn't going to get an answer.

When Rem left, satisfied Misa would be safe, L's pleasant surprise and relief turned to anger as he rounded on B, "What are you doing here?"

"I said we'd be in touch, didn't I, Sugar Cube?" He crossed his arms, "It wasn't hard to find you since I followed you from the hospital. I take it Yagami's not dead."

"That's none of your business. But that still doesn't explain why you are here when currently Soichiro Yagami wants your head on a spike."

"I'm here looking for information on Adelina, why else would I be here? I was hoping I could be here and gone before you got back, but I'm glad I was actually here before she called your bluff on having the eyes. I'd rather our little one not lose her mother at such a young age."

"B, I wasn't lying when I said I don't know where she is. And you took out the police force and attacked Light, who doesn't seem to be Kira."

"What if you can renounce the power?" Beyond sat on the couch, "Meaning Misa and Light have lost the power, and thus their lifespans have returned." L bit his thumb, thinking about that possibility. But then he snapped out of it,

"We're not talking about the case. We are talking about how much you seem to want to be involved in her life, and yet you have shown no reason I should give you a chance."

"And yet I'm the one willing to do anything to protect her. You think I went through all the trouble to kill your rebound guy if I didn't think he was a threat to our child? As much as I want you back, I'm not _that_ kind of ex." L groaned,

"He's not my rebound guy—I have sworn off romance. He's a friend at best, but more importantly, the son of the chief and someone you shouldn't go stabbing." He noticed an almost worried look cross Beyond's face, his brow furrowing,

"Oh. My mistake, so it's a good thing that wasn't the reason." Beyond pouted, "I think I have a right to meet her at least once by video call, even the worst of parents get to meet their kid. I don't even know what she looks like!" 

L got up, digging into his suitcase, and tossed a scrapbook to Beyond, "I have everything in here as a digital copy, so if this satisfies you, take it."

"Photos are nice, but meeting my child...? Do you want child support? I don't think you need that, though."

L crossed his arms, "No, I do not need child support. If you can prove to me that it is safe to let you be in her life, I'll let you meet her. But right now, I am seconds away from calling the police to arrest your ass—though yes, thank you for helping with Rem."

"So I'm overstaying my welcome." Beyond got up, the book under his arm, and he smiled as he gripped the doorframe, "I'll come back with the head of Kira."

And then he was gone, leaving L and his hurricane of contradicting emotions alone with new knowledge and a pool of dread in his stomach.


	13. Chapter 13

L stared at the results of the various tests Light had undergone while in confinement, his eyes comically wide as he reread them again. Whether Light was Kira or not, this was a grave issue. 

The tests had revealed a dangerous chemical imbalance. If L didn't know this was Light's blood—and he did know this was the case since he had already doubted it and had that sample DNA tested and it was one Light Yagami—he would think he was looking at the results of a Schizophrenic or a meth addict.

Well, obviously, this meant more tests. And also, therapy. The first step, whether Light was guilty or not, was to figure out what the _hell_ was going on. 

He thought back to his own blood tests when he hadn't known about being pregnant and how his hormones had been off the charts because of it, and he had had his own chemical imbalance going on at the time. It had faded gradually after Adelina was born, but that didn't change the fact it had happened.

Was it possible this Death Note or perhaps even the Shinigami themselves were able to alter human brain chemistry as they desired? He thought back to what B had suggested about the ability to renounce the power. It was likely Amane had done that, and unfortunately, he could only have her imprisoned for stalking—as her search history had revealed, she had purchased all the information about Light. The apartment search had gotten a ton of photos of him online, framed, and in heart frames.

If she really was the second Kira, L was positive Light had known and had probably been confronted about this. But that brought him back to the fact that what if he had Amane tested and there was nothing? Actually, it had taken about six months for L's brain chemistry to return to normal after having Adelina. But there was still a difference between using a magical murder notebook and being pregnant. Still, it was worth a look.

Another thought came to him. Was Light using performance-enhancing drugs? That would actually explain a lot about how he was able to keep up with someone, such as L himself, with a chemical imbalance like this. Even if he got Amane tested, he would need to talk to Mr. Yagami about that, and especially Light himself.

Beyond had said he would return with the head of Kira. Now, L still didn't know whether that was literal or not, but he was pretty sure it was, and thus was determined to beat his ex to it. 

And he did wonder what B's endgame was. Did he really just want to meet their kid, or was there something else? L would have thought B would want nothing to do with children after Wammy's House back in his day.

He winced, feeling pulsing in his brain, and knew a migraine from the stress of the last two days was getting to him. This was going to suck, and he knew it. Two of his allies were in the hospital because of his crazy ex; the chief was sitting bedside with his son and refusing to leave his side, he had no idea where his daughter was, and now he was getting a crippling migraine. Wonderful.

The best course of action was to take an Advil and hope that kept the pain at bay so he could work on getting suspects. He also did realize that what the hell was he going to do if this really did get debilitating. He couldn't call Watari, or Adelina would be back in Japan and in Beyond's reach.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a call from Watari, saying Adelina wanted to video chat. Deciding it wouldn't hurt, he pulled up Skype and was met with her grinning face,

"Hi, Mommy!"

"Hey, baby. Are you having fun?" Adelina nodded, holding up a stuffed dolphin, 

"Papa got me a toy!" Papa? That was a new one. Well, he supposed that since Watari was basically her grandfather, it was only a matter of time. And of course, it was odd for a child to be calling their grandfather the alias of someone known to work with L.

Watari appeared, "She's been very well behaved and has been playing with other children her age." L looked behind out the window and noticed it was nighttime, which gave him a feel for where she was since it was currently 3pm in Japan.

"Mommy, I made a friend!" Adelina bounced a bit on the bed, "Her name is Maya and—and we play together, and we're gonna be friends forever!" She went on talking about her new friend, and L sighed, knowing that Adelina was too young to understand it was not common for vacation friends to last. 

L chuckled, "I'm glad you're having fun and making friends, Gummy Bear." Adelina's expression changed to concern when she noticed her mother wince as the migraine started setting in. 

"Are you okay, Mommy? Is it about Daddy?" L sighed,

"I'm just getting a migraine. Your father has been the source of much stress, and I just learned something about Light, which worries me."

"L," Watari looked through the camera, "If you're getting a migraine, you need to rest, and if it's one of the bad ones, we can head back to help you."

"No, it's okay. I took some Advil, and I'll try to sleep it off." Not that it ever worked.

"Could you call Daddy to help you?" Adelina asked, "Would he know how?"

L cringed, already feeling B's smirk that sent shivers up his spine if he called for help in his unfortunately timed hour of need. He already knew B had put his number in L's phone since he had found a contact of "Evil Ex ;)" that hadn't been there before. But no, he could suck it up and deal with this alone, and without his ex's help. He had been outstanding without that bastard in his life for two and a half years now. He did _not_ need B's assist.

"He could, but I'm not going to call him. I can take care of myself."

"Oh." She looked down at the bedsheets, "Well, I'm gonna let you take a nap, Mommy, so you can feel better."

"I'll do that." He replied, "I'll talk to you when I'm feeling better. It looks like it's late, so I expect you will be in bed at a reasonable time."

"Okie! Bye, Mommy!" She hung up, and L smiled, even though he knew he still had to work. But he supposed he could do that laying down.

He laid down, turning down the brightness on his laptop as he searched for leads, already figuring out this was someone who wanted to get promoted, and the people who would benefit most from Kira helping Yotsuba was the president and vice presidents of each branch. It was worth looking into.

He actually felt nauseous as another pulse of pain hit him, feeling as though his eyes were trying to pop out of his skull. He both cursed and was relieved by the fact the task force was taking leave as he fell off the bed and stumbled over to the hotel fridge and grabbed a chilled bottle of water, turning off all the lights and putting it over his eyes as he went back to rest.

After another hour of being a prisoner to a mercilessly increasing pain and tightening sensation in his head, he thought back to what Adelina said about calling B. Was it too much to hope B would just come over himself uninvited again, so he didn't need to humiliate himself in actually phoning him?

Another wave of nausea hit him, and he decided to justify a call by distracting B from killing Kira—after all, tests needed to be run to see how the Death Note affected people's brains. Yeah, he wasn't so desperate for relief from this agony that he was actually calling his ex who he despised, he was just cheating a little bit and using his pain to his advantage.

He shakily picked up his phone, selecting the evil ex contact and trying to call. He still needed to talk to Mr. Yagami about the results of Light's examinations, wait... that was pretty important too. He could wait to look pathetic.

Another tightening in his brain led to him throwing up the minimal contents of his stomach into the trash can. No, sadly, talking to the chief could wait. He called B, getting a response within seconds,

_"Hey, Lawli Darling! I didn't think you'd actually call me. What is it?"_

"Red." Was all L said, that code word they used to have when they were together for when L was in too much pain to talk. 

_"O-Oh! That bad. I'm on my way now, just try to drink some water and try sleeping. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."_ The line went dead, and L dropped the phone, not caring whether it had landed on the nightstand or the floor, and curled in a ball under the covers, promising himself he was going to be giving Beyond a piece of his mind for putting him through this. Son of a bitch had to go stressing him out when he could have stayed at Wammy's and been a problem to deal with _after_ the case. 

By the time his exhaustion started setting in, and he started nodding off, he heard the door open.

"Hey, I'll get some ginger tea going, okay?" He heard B whisper, sitting on the edge of the bed, placing an actual ice pack against L's eyes, blissfully chilled.

"You bastard," he hissed, "You did this to me." He couldn't see, but he could feel B's expression change to something along the lines of regret,

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I want to help you, not cause you pain. I'm not leaving until I know you're okay." He held L's hand, still speaking softly to not make the migraine worse, "I would give you a massage, but something tells me you don't want me touching you, especially while you're vulnerable. So just sleep. I'll wake you up when the tea is ready. Do you want anything to eat?"

L shook his head, "Not hungry." Then he felt his body getting heavier than it had been previously, and he found himself drifting off, wondering how the hell he could sleep with a serial killer in the room.

OoOoO

For Light, the hospital was not a pleasant place to be, and he had only been awake for the last couple of hours. Maybe it was the drafty hospital gown, or the fact his father was mother-henning him, or the uncomfortable bed, or the fact the damn morphine was not doing its job, and his left shoulder and arm still felt like it had been to hell and back. 

When he had first woken up, a doctor had explained he'd needed surgery, and significant damage had been taken to his left arm, which at this moment in time he could barely move at all. The stab to his back had been closer to his shoulder blade, so it would take months if not years of physical therapy to be able to use his arm properly. He was glad he was ambidextrous, but how was he supposed to be an officer if his arm didn't even work correctly?

But the biggest issue, which doctors thought might be due to the blood loss affecting his brain, was the memory gaps he was experiencing like something was missing, but he had no idea whatsoever what that thing was.

What he did remember, however, was L's ex, who had been fully ready to murder him at even the slightest chance he was a threat to his child. For A's sake, Light was glad the reason had been surprisingly decent, but that didn't change the fact he was still pissed and terrified at the idea the psycho would come back to finish the job. 

He had wanted to help L, which was what led him to now, asking his father where Ryuzaki was.

"I haven't spoken with him much," his father admitted, "But he said you need to rest, and he found a lead on the case we can work on once you're out of the hospital."

"But who knows how long that will take. I can already tell I'm not going to get lucky and be free in the next day or so."

"Actually, at Ryuzaki's request, you will be moved from the hospital in the next 24 hours, to the original NPA task force headquarters, for your own safety. I'm sure you can help the case there." Light looked down at the sling and knew that was going to be a pain, but frustration was vastly superior to boredom. 

Despite himself, his body started shaking, "You're not going to leave me, right?" He thought back to having been all alone running for his life, nobody was there to help him until it was too late. But he was still too proud to admit he was scared, so the simple question was as close to a confession of his fear as he was going to get. 

His father, being a cop, caught onto what was being said, smiling bitterly and placing his hand on Light's good one, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Beyond Birthday might be strong, but not as strong as an angry father."

"Thanks, Dad." Soichiro smiling, hugging Light gently,

"Of course, son." 


	14. Chapter 14

In the original task force headquarters, everyone was waiting around nervously, having not gotten any form of a message from L in three days, and he didn't answer calls. Everyone saw a problem with this since L's crazy ex was on the loose, but they had called Watari, who said that L had mentioned having a migraine, and those could last for days.

"Maybe we should go check on him," Light insisted, attempting to sit up but struggling since he couldn't use one of his arms. Matsuda sighed from where he was trying and failing to make coffee since both of his hands were severely damaged, and he couldn't use them any form of effectively. This didn't stop him from trying to be helpful in any way he could.

Aizawa was the one to take the coffee from Matsuda, "You shouldn't be exerting yourself."

"It's just coffee."

"And you have two holes in your hands from scissors being thrown into them." He looked to the Chief and Mogi, "Chief, look after Light and Matsuda. Mogi and I will go check on Ryuzaki." 

Light huffed, staring back at the ceiling, "Don't die." He started looking at information on Yotsuba since a lead on that was the last message L had given them.

Soichiro looked to the two officers, "Be careful, even if Ryuzaki just has a migraine." Aizawa nodded, gesturing for Mogi to follow.

OoOoO

Beyond tensed as his beloved whimpered, being sat up to drink some water. Three days and L wasn't getting any better. Was this the point to give him some Oxycontin to help with the pain? It had always been a last resort, but they were at the three-day mark, and the migraine hadn't been letting up with any other remedy, and every time he tried to call Watari, L would get pissed and think it was an excuse to meet Adelina. 

It had been years, but he hadn't forgotten just how loopy L got on the stuff. The last time he had taken it, they had been in a deeply romantic relationship, the flirty and somewhat horny side effects hadn't been a bother. Now, though, with Beyond more than aware of his status as the ex-boyfriend, he didn't want L getting the wrong idea.

That didn't change how hard it was to see L suffering so much, or the idea L had given up on love altogether. No, L deserved to be loved, and Beyond knew he had been an irrational idiot to throw it away. Obviously, his best course of action was to find a way to help L with that, even... if it meant giving up L forever.

But who was he kidding? That was nowhere near his highest priority since L had to be carried to the damn bathroom and slept through most of the day. L's physical wellbeing came first, then everything else.

L drifted back to sleep, and Beyond flipped through the scrapbook that L had scathingly tossed to him when he had first visited. It was clear Watari had taken all the photos, and it was an in-the-moment situation, but it gave him a feel for what he had missed.

He had looked through the book countless times, but one image still caught his attention every time, labeled: "8/23, the last good night of sleep L will have for a while." It seemed to be right after their daughter was born, and she was sleeping on L's chest. That date... she had been born the day after he had been arrested.

He had regretted what he had done for a long time, but never more than seeing this image. He should have been there for L—Watari had been doing everything that the father of the child should have. He wanted to step up and be there for her, especially if she really did have his eyes, but the first step in even talking to her was winning back L's trust. If he went behind L's back and spoke to her now while L was suffering, that would be the last time, and it could cause a rift between Adelina and L and—gah, being a screwup Dad trying to make things right was harder than it should be!

He jerked up when he heard a knock at the door. Who the hell was knocking? He grabbed a knife and hid as someone opened the door, and he noticed it was two of the officers from before. He looked and saw their names to remember which was which.

"Ryuzaki," Aizawa called, "Are you here?" Damn, that man sounded angry. That was not what L needed near him. But what could he do that didn't involve violence, and wouldn't make L's headache worse.

"Here." He heard L whisper, and both Aizawa and Mogi rushed over, and Beyond blended in with the shadows, appreciating the fact his eyes allowed him to see perfectly in total darkness. He sneered at these people, protectiveness bubbling up. He observed their lifespans, knowing that if he went for the kill, he would fail. But for L's sake, he also couldn't maim. Now, if these two caused L any pain, he would break them and damn the consequences. He may have been designed to be a copy, but that didn't mean he had ever planned to stay in that mold.

"We just came to check on you," Mogi said, "Watari said you have a migraine." He saw L nod a little,

"I just need... rest... It's okay..."

Beyond Birthday frowned as Aizawa was observing the room, and his eyes widened.

"Ryuzaki, is someone else here?" L was already asleep again, and Beyond held his breath. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation and too much noise. His interest was piqued when Aizawa and Mogi continued talking, walking into the main room of the hotel as though investigating. Beyond took the moment they weren't looking to scurry under the bed.

"We should call Watari," Mogi said, "If Ryuzaki's still like this after three days, Watari might be the only one who can help him, unless we plan to find Beyond Birthday and ask for help."

"No way. Not after what he did to Matsuda and Light." What? One had been a danger to his child, and the other had been trying to shoot him! And while he had initially been going for the kill with Yagami, there was no way that would work with his lifespan, which had only appeared with the knife in his back. "But we do need to ask Watari to get back here. But the kid..."

"Ryuzaki will think of something." Mogi pulled out his phone as they were looking around, probably to make sure Beyond wasn't actually here. "Hey, Watari, so we just checked on Ryuzaki. It's been three days, and he's still not doing well. I know it's important to take care of A and keep her away from here, but Ryuzaki is not doing well. Alright, he likes tea? Oxycontin? Alright, Watari. He's sleeping right now. Should I leave him be? Okay. Bye." He hung up, "Watari said he needs a day or so to check out and fly here, but since Ryuzaki is sleeping, we should leave him be, but leave tablets of Oxycontin for him to take when he wakes up."

"Alright. We should head back to headquarters," Aizawa looked around with a sigh, "If there was someone else here, they aren't here right now."

After a moment of searching for and then setting down the pills, they left, and Beyond crawled out from under the bed, seeing L was asleep again.

Watari was heading back... that meant that Adelina was going to be in Japan, and he had a shot at meeting her. He had hope that maybe taking care of L without trying anything regarding their daughter would show L that he could be trusted, but he did know L needed time.

L was passed out again, and Beyond sighed, deciding to sit bedside with him until he woke up. He knew he could just massage L's back and neck, but...

Screw it. It was better that L could think clearly, hopefully without drugs, and it wasn't like he was going to try anything. He crawled onto the bed, turning L over and slowly working at the knots in his ex's back, knowing each place precisely. It seemed time had not erased the memory of this.

He sucked in a breath, hearing L moaning a little, and he focused on the task at hand, and he instantly stopped when he noticed L open his eyes.

"What happened to not doing that?" He sighed, still speaking in a hushed voice,

"It's been three days, Sugar Cube. Watari's going to be here soon, Mogi just called him. I know you don't like taking opioids. I can stop if you want, I know I probably overstepped a boundary... I just don't like seeing you like this."

There was silence between them, and L sighed, reaching for his phone, probably to call Watari, but he winced at the bright screen, falling back onto the pillow.

"Do what you have to do. Drugs lower my deductive reasoning the same as this migraine."

"Ever practical, darling."

"Don't call me that."

Beyond chuckled, "You're snapping at me—that's always a good sign. Hopefully, soon you won't look like death warmed up." L didn't reply, turning away, and his only form of an answer was the sounds he made when Beyond kneaded at some knots. "She's beautiful, our girl."

There was still no response, but he could feel L's smile at the comment. Deciding it would be best to shut up, he simply worked until he was satisfied, and L was asleep again. He needed as much rest as he could get. Those bags under his eyes hadn't gotten any better with parenthood.

"Get some sleep,"

"One chance." He was taken aback by the fact L actually wasn't asleep, but he still wasn't opening his eyes, "I am giving you one chance, and only because I can't stop Watari from coming here and there's nobody to watch Ade. If you fuck up even _once_ , on any account, including the investigation and especially those you have wronged, you will _never_ see her again. And you are not to be alone with her. Someone will always be with you two."

Slowly as the information processed with him, a grin blossomed on his face. Was L really letting him... This was probably because he wanted this to be on his own terms, but that was fine! 

"I won't let you down!" 

"I'm going to go back to sleep before I regret this." L put a blanket on his head, and Beyond was practically dancing for joy at the idea that he may get to meet her!

And then he realized he had no idea how to be a parent, and the people he could ask were probably pissed at him for what happened to Light. Oh... shit.

How was he supposed not to screw up if he had no idea what he was doing?! Maybe L meant killing or maiming anyone, but who knew? He could always change it depending on how much he regretted it once he didn't have a migraine anymore, so he had to prepare for anything and be the best parent there was.

So... how to do that? Did anybody have a map? Anybody maybe happen to know how the hell to do this?

He shook himself. He could do this. After all, he had lived in the orphanage for a long time and had gone back, so surely he had _some_ idea.

Oh, who was he kidding?! Those were kids, but Adelina was a toddler! And a girl, which for some reason there were very few of at Wammy's—even then the girls there were older. Did that make things harder somehow? He had no idea.

Alright, he had maybe a day to learn how to parent and not blow his one shot at being an active part of her life.

He went on L's laptop, ignoring L's tabs and immediately looking up how to parent.

He was in for a long night.

OoOoO

"Mommy!" Adelina ran in, wearing a new pink floral dress, she was dragging her suitcase along. Her young face was marred with concern and fear, climbing onto the bed, "Mr. Mogi said you're not feeling good." L smiled wearily, pulling her close in a hug,

"I'm feeling much better today. My migraine faded last night with some help, but I'm still tired." He ruffled her hair, "I'm excited to hear about what you were doing, baby. But I have a little surprise for you. Remember our agreement?" She nodded, and he saw in her eyes that she knew where this was going.

L sighed. He couldn't believe a damn massage had made his agonized self make an agreement with the son of a bitch, and yet he knew going back on what he had said would do more harm than good. But after what happened to Light, he regretted it deeply and had already called Aiber and Wedy to keep an eye on B, so L could work on the case. Things would be easier to deal with once the investigation was over.

He was still worried about Light and wanted to see him and talk—and apologize for what Beyond had done, but he did know his family matters came first.

At L's gesture, Beyond Birthday stepped out from shadows of the room, and hesitantly walked towards Adelina, slowly as though he was terrified. Adelina stared at him with a curious expression, crawling to the end of the bed and hopping off, so she was right in front of him, staring up and blinking.

"Are you my Daddy?"

L smiled a little seeing Beyond's eyes start to water, and he felt a sense of relief. He could tell that Adelina was in no danger. B bent down to her level, nodding, "Yes. Yes, I am."

Adelina was quiet for a few moments before a grin blossomed on her face and she tugged B onto the bed, gesturing for Watari too, and pulling her parents and her grandfather into a hug,

"We're a family!"

It wasn't that simple, and this was going to be a long and painful process, but he still couldn't stop the smile on his face, mostly because he was too tired to think about all the regrets and downsides, "Yeah. I guess we are."

_Don't let me down, B, or I swear I will kill you and make it look like an accident._


	15. Chapter 15

_Rule 1: Don't make L look like the bad guy._

Alright. That rule should be easy enough to follow, Beyond supposed, given how lenient L was even it came to sugar consumption and things that couldn't somehow lead to L and Adelina being in danger of having their identities exposed. He watched Adelina eating an ice cream sandwich the size of her face.

L had given him a ton of money and let him take Adelina to the Disneyland twenty minutes away from the hotel to hang out for the day. However, Aiber was to be accompanying him to make sure nothing happened. He had to call every hour to give updates, and so far, things were going smoothly. He had also given Adelina a Stitch stuffed toy since that was one of the very few Disney movies she had watched. 

The lack of Disney media had initially come as a surprise to Beyond, but then remembered the new preteen television shows which had a tendency to show weird and illogical teenage rebellion, which sent a bad message and if Adelina tried anything like that could have deadly consequences, and it made sense. Since those were typically on the same channel as the actually good movies, it became clear why Adelina hadn't seen much of anything decent, as live TV was most of what she was given a chance to watch at any given time, so he assumed she lived off a lot of game shows, _National Geographic,_ and the occasional DVD.

However, this was also somewhat unacceptable, so he may need to show her some of the movies. Or loophole and show her some Dreamworks movies like _Road to El Dorado._

No. Beyond knew he had to ask L about doing that, or things could become messy, but he could easily break rule one. 

As it was, they had just gotten off a ride, and Adelina was asking about the Little Mermaid, what that was all about, and the posters for Disneysea they saw nearby. 

Aiber called L to give an update, and Adelina bounced up and down, her face covered in ice cream, and she was hugging her new toy, "Daddy, can we go to Disneysea!"

Beyond laughed, using a napkin to clean her face, "Maybe we can go to Disneysea with your mother as a little celebration about the case being over. I'm sure such a big case deserves something special."

"Are you helping on the case?" She asked, and he hesitated, before smirking,

"Well, I helped your mother find a big lead, but he doesn't want me getting involved too much. I'm pretty sure that the most I'm going to get involved is as a maid." He rolled his eyes, "Maybe I can sing and call birds to my aid."

She looked up at him, and he was struck by just how much she looked like L with that expression, and for a moment, he gasped, seeing her pupils glow bright red for a split second as she was looking at him and then Aiber.

"Daddy," her tone changed to one unbefitting someone who wasn't even two yet, "What do the numbers mean? I don't think Mommy knows, but he tried to say it's just a thing."

_Oh no. What to do, what to do..._

_Rule 2: Don't ever tell Adelina what her eyes do._

"I'm as clueless as you are." He lied smoothly, shrugging, "I've had a few theories over the years, but nothing can be proven one way or another. It's not like there's anybody around who can tell me. I remember your mother, A, and I used to make jokes about it when we were younger."

"A? Like me?" 

Did she not know about A? He was furious for a second before remembering Adelina was twenty-two months old and had no business knowing about A and, more specifically, what had happened.

"A was a friend of mine. Of course, that wasn't his real name, but he, your mother, and I were all friends growing up whenever your mother wasn't working."

"Where is he now?" She asked, and Beyond thought back to that day, he had realized for sure what his eyes revealed, seeing A dangling from the end of a rope, having been dead for too long to be saved. He remembered that crushing pain as the air was knocked from his lungs by the scream, which tore through his throat and echoed down the hall, and Roger needing to pull him away. And he remembered waking up after having fainted, L at his side, and yet all he could feel was rage towards the one he loved. 

In hindsight, L had been pregnant then, and it just made him hate himself more for irrationally blaming his lover for what had happened. He didn't know if it was the hormones or the death of their friend that had brought tears to the typically stoic detective's eyes.

"He left." Beyond replied softly, "We were grown up—no need to stay anymore. After that, I had a hard time, and you know what happened. Even if he's out there, I doubt he would want to see me again."

"You'll never know until you look," She offered gleefully, "Maybe you just need to go find him. You found Mommy, and it seems to be going well!"

"Which is nothing short of a miracle given your mother is the most stubborn being out there, and I half expect a hitman to come for me any day now." He shuddered, "Besides, I think I should just give him some space."

"Daddy, was A like us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Mommy says there are others like us," she pointed to her eyes, "But I don't think so. When I see people, I see their numbers. There was nobody like me, and if I address someone by name, they think I'm weird. Was A like us?"

Beyond bent down by her side, cupping her cheek, "Cupcake, I will admit that there are not many people like us, and A wasn't either. We are very special, but that does mean some people will not understand the unknown."

She cocked her head, "What did Mommy think?"

"He was surprised, but I proved that I really could see names, and he believed me. I don't think he ever understood, but he tried his best." He sighed, "Listen, Adelina, I know being different from others may not seem like it's a good thing, and it's not easy, but I will be here if you need someone to talk to about it."

She nodded, "Right." He ruffled her messy hair—so young, and already she had the unruly mop of her mother, she really was a Lawliet.

"Come on, how about we go on another ride and get some lunch because I don't like seeing my little Princess upset," he looked up at Aiber, "You gonna join us?"

"I suppose I have to, but can we not go on the teacups again." He mumbled under his breath, "Ex-sitting is not what I thought I would be doing to help with this case."

"Well, someone has to keep an eye on Stitch," Beyond pointed out, gesturing to the toy, "So you can stay here, and I can hang out with Ade."

They walked for a bit, and Adelina looked around, sometimes pointing out funny names she spotted. Beyond also noticed one surname that was so long and ridiculous that he wanted Kira to try writing it all down without a misspell.

They ended up walking past a cafe labeled the Sweethearts cafe. Adelina pointed, 

"We can get something for Mommy there!" He laughed at the idea, before sighing, knowing that bringing L something from there might be overstepping a boundary. There was no way he was going to win L back. He needed to win L's trust so he would learn to love again, and Beyond himself could have a little custody over their daughter.

He had overheard L and Watari talking last night, and Watari had pointed out that having her father around to keep an eye on her while L was working would be best for Adelina's wellbeing. 

"Maybe. So, Princess, tell me about Light. Is he any competition for me?"

"Hm?" She looked to him from where he was carrying her, her eyes lighting up, "He's silly, and he's got this big monster thing that followed him around." She pouted, "The monster left, though."

Wait, what? "A monster?"

"Yeah! It looked really silly," she giggled, "What was the monster? It seemed to be sleeping on the cameras, but when it saw me when I met Light-San, it ran away." She threw her free hand out, "Big! With pointy teeth and black wings!"

"Could you draw the monster for me when we get home?" He asked, noticing Aiber wasn't paying attention. Could it be Light really was Kira and him regaining a visible lifespan had been him giving up the power? That made sense, he supposed, and the monster following him must be a Shinigami, "Does your mother know about the monster?"

"I don't think so. I didn't think there was one until I saw it face-to-face, and it sounded weird, so I didn't say anything."

Beyond realized the implications of this. He knew killing Light Yagami wasn't going to happen because he had sixty years of lifespan left, and he could already tell that L was fond of the young man. Obviously, the best course of action was to figure out if Light really had somehow lost his memories, and if he hadn't, do something about it since he had plenty of shady friends he had met in prison. But if he had lost his memories, then make sure he stays that way.

So his plan to use Light to help L learn to love again had just come to a grinding halt. But of course, there was a chance that maybe the "monster" was just watching Light, and the lack of lifespan had only been the Shinigami watching him. He didn't know anything, and one who knows nothing can understand nothing.

He shook himself—no need to think about the case. This was a day to spend with his darling daughter. This was also one of the first days he could spend actually having fun and not a legally dead serial killer or just trying to find and talk to his ex.

They ended up going on another ride and then sitting in a restaurant, Aiber seated at a table close to them but not the same table, giving the illusion of it being just Beyond and Adelina. She blinked at him,

"So are you and Mommy gonna get married?"

He momentarily choked on his drink, "I—uh, I doubt it. Your mother is a very stubborn person, and I doubt getting back together is in the cards."

"He said I couldn't meet you until I was ten, but he came around," she pointed out, and Beyond chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck,

"Yeah, but he was in a lot of pain at the time, so your rational thinking mother would have given a very different answer. Right now, I just want him to be happy." It would never stop being weird, the conversations he was having with the same toddler who had been squealing with glee in a toy store. Now he was having conversations he probably shouldn't be having at this age. Was it expected? Probably, since she was both an Akamine and a Lawliet, but that didn't make it any less weird. 

"Mommy's always sad," Adelina muttered, "He cries at night and likes to hug me." 

Ah, the nightmares. Beyond Birthday cringed, thinking about the months L had been alone with nobody to hold onto in those troubling times. Had Watari at least been there?

"Well, it's good that he's got you." He frowned, because out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. "Ade,"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"That guy over there, Imai Saito," he gestured subtly to a man in the corner, "His numbers are 14286. Did we see him earlier?" Adelina looked directly at the man, hugging her toy and then taking a bite of her fried chicken and waffle sandwich.

"Mmhm, his hat is very fancy. Why?" Beyond looked over at the man's black fedora and messaged Aiber,

BB: Hey, I think we're being followed. If so, I want to see if the guy is following Ade or me, so can you take her for a bit after we leave?

Aiber: Alright. Who do you think is following you.

BB: The guy in the fedora—the shady-looking one in the corner.

Aiber: Got it. 

Beyond and Adelina both ate and Beyond leaned in, "Cupcake, we're gonna play a little game, okay? I want to see if that guy is following us, and if he is, I'm gonna sneak up on him. You need to go have fun with Mr. Aiber and play it cool, got it?" She nodded, and they got up, and Beyond passed Adelina to Aiber, "If you lose track of her, I will maim you."

He waited for a few minutes before noticing that this guy was keeping an eye on Adelina.

_Rule 3: Do not endanger Adelina's safety._

He followed the stalker, who was watching his daughter. Beyond moved with superhuman reflexes and speed, his movements were smooth and silent as a shadow, so the cameras around the park weren't able to register him as he grabbed Imai's hat, appearing in front of him.

He frowned, knowing he couldn't do anything here or now since there were cameras. Oh boy, was he going to find this guy later—maybe tell L about it first so he could discover Imai's address.

Beyond ran back to Adelina so fast that it was as though he had been there the whole time, "Right then, we should probably head back." He said a little louder than probably necessary. Aiber raised an eyebrow at Beyond,

"Did you steal that guy's hat?" Beyond checked the hat for lice, found no signs of any, and then put the hat on,

"Yeah, what of it?" He grinned as though nothing was wrong, and Adelina reached out her arms, and she clung to him.

"Daddy, was the guy following us?"

"Yes," he whispered, "But don't worry, I'm going to take care of it. For now, let's get you back to your mother."

"Okay, Daddy."

OoOoO

L couldn't think straight, checking his phone constantly. Sure, he had just gotten his last call from Beyond saying they had eaten lunch, and he was going to stop in the bathroom while Aiber spent time with Adelina. Alright, so he had no need to worry, right?

Light sat down next to him, and L cringed, seeing the bandages on Light's arm, and the fact he couldn't move said appendage properly anymore—maybe not ever, "Ryuzaki, are you okay? Any update from Beyond?" The task force had found out about what was happening, and none of them liked it, but all agreed that Beyond was too dangerous to go back on the agreement. 

"I got an update, but I still don't like being away from her when she's in _his_ care."

Light chuckled, "A seems like a resilient kid. I'm sure she's fine." He perked up, "Oh, I got some more information regarding Yotsuba, and I got a narrowed list of those who would have something to gain. Maybe if we can get someone undercover or plant cameras and wiretaps, we could get a feel for who Kira is."

How was this the same man who had a drastic chemical imbalance? He didn't seem to have any issues at all, "I'll talk to Wedy." Light smiled a bit, 

"Hey, how about you take some time off once A gets back to spend some time with your daughter. I'm sure she missed you after being away for so long and would like to spend time with you."

"Knowing B, he's going to be the fun parent, and she's going to hate me."

"Well, you're the world's greatest detective," Light defended, "And rebellion and such or even going out could endanger both of your lives. So you have reason to be overprotective. Maybe you and I could go play some tennis to take out minds of..." his expression suddenly darkened, and his shoulders slumped, making L painfully aware Light had just remembered his horrific injury. He shrugged,

"You're the one who should be getting some rest. Have you taken your pain medications?"

"About half an hour ago, but they haven't fully kicked in yet." He perked up, pressing a button to call Watari, "Watari, can we have some cake and coffee." He grinned, "I know you mentioned cake helps you focus."

Despite himself, L felt a slight heat coming to his cheeks, and he looked away, telling his stupid body to shut up. Light could be Kira or a former Kira, so getting attached was an even more insane idea.

And yet, he couldn't stop himself from being a little happy to see Light smiling. 


	16. Chapter 16

L had been enjoying cake with Light and talking when he got a call from Beyond Birthday to meet him back at the hotel as soon as possible. Panic rose up as he hurried out the door, "I have to go."

"Ryuzaki, what is it?" Light asked, and L just gestured to his phone, calling Watari to get him a car ride immediately as he practically sprinted into the hospital. Everything should be fine, right? But Beyond had seemed so concerned, what if something happened to Adelina?

"Beyond, Adelina better be safe or—" he was stopped by Adelina hugging his legs,

"Mommy!" He relaxed instantly and picked her up, pulling her close as she hugged his neck. Beyond was leaning against the wall, looking extremely concerned with his arms crossed.

Not letting go of Adelina, L's brow furrowed as he took in just how worried his ex was, "What was going on?"

"We were being followed. Guy called Imai Saito, or at least that's his real name."

L blanched as he looked down at Adelina, who nodded confirmation but didn't seem nearly as concerned as her father. He pursed his lips as he held Adelina closer, "Do you think it's Yotsuba?"

"Who knows," he put his hands in his pockets, "I'm worried my little stunt with traffic light may have caught someone's attention who really shouldn't have been alerted."

"Traffic...?" It took L a moment to realize what, or exactly who his ex was talking about, and he narrowed his eyes, "If you caused this—"

"I'll deal with it, Sugar Cube," Beyond assured him, walking close and placing a hand on L's shoulder, "I'm not letting anyone hurt you or Adelina. Just leave everything to me."

"And why should I trust you?" L growled, and Beyond just smiled softly,

"You don't have to, but you and Ade are the only things I have. You'd be surprised what a man with something to lose if he fails can do." He headed out, and L watched him go. Adelina blinked at him with a smile on her face,

"Mommy, are you okay?"

He looked down at her, sitting her down on the bed, "I'm alright, Gummy Bear." He noticed the massive stuffed toy, "Your father got that for you?" Adelina nodded, holding up her toy,

"This is Stitch!" She grabbed Stitch's arm so her toy would wave, "Say hi, Stitch!" Then she put on a voice, "Hi!" L chuckled, putting on a smile, but then Adelina's grin fell, "Mommy, is Daddy going to deal with that guy?"

"I don't doubt that all too much," L muttered, thinking about what happened to Light, "I guess if there's one thing I can give him credit for, he'll do anything to protect you."

"Daddy still loves you too," Adelina insisted, "He'll protect you too!"

L sighed, "We'll see. But Ade, you do understand that even if your father does still love me, I'm not getting back together with him."

"I know," she slumped a bit, "But can Daddy still say around?" L grimaced, knowing she had always craved having a father in her life, and now that she had gotten a taste of it, that desire had gotten even stronger. He would never love again and therefore couldn't give her a stepfather to love.

"We'll see, Ade," he didn't meet her eyes, rather staring out the window. All he could think about was seeing Light fall to the floor with a knife in his back, terrified for his life. It gave L a headache to think about because Light seemed to be innocent in all of this, and attacking an innocent was unforgivable. But he also understood why Beyond had done it since he had seen Light as a threat to their child. "We'll see."

OoOoO

Beyond swung into the apartment window of Imai Saito after doing a small amount of investigation and discovering this man was a Private Investigator. Even if it was summer, a person really should know better than to leave their window open when investigating someone.

Imai came into the bedroom, and Beyond was hidden behind the door, and swung out and pinned him to the wall, knife in hand, "Why the hell were you following me today?"

"What?! Get off me!"

"Answer the question," he said slowly, "And I won't maim you. You're just doing your job, right? Who hired you?"

Beyond tuned out the complete terror from Imai, waiting until he was given a name, occasionally pushing the knife slightly forward until the shout of, "Masahiko Kida!" came out, and he stepped back with a gentle bow. "He wanted me to investigate L and that kid!"

"That's all I needed to know." He headed back to the window, "Thanks for the hat, by the way."

"What are you?" Imai breathed, and Beyond noticed in the mirror that his eyes had flickered to red for the slightest moment. He just laughed in response,

"Nobody to be trifled with, that's all you need to know. Don't go calling the cops on me now, or I'll get to explain you were stalking me and I was simply defending myself." He hopped out the window and hurried into an alleyway, processing what he had learned.

If someone was trying to get that guy to investigate L and Adelina, that meant his family was in danger, and Beyond was willing to bet this was Yotsuba's doing. He needed more information and to get into that building himself and force it out of that bastard Kida's throat why he wanted to investigate Adelina.

But he knew why. To determine what Adelina meant to L and use her as a bargaining chip, or worse, put L in danger. Countless possibilities flew in his head, and he looked to the knife in his hand, sucking in a breath.

He knew what he had to do.

Thankfully, after Kira had attempted to kill him in prison, something interesting had happened. He was gaining the ability to heal extremely fast, added to superhuman agility and speed. His burn scars had been slowly but surely fading as the months went on, and now his face was scar-free. Now he could hide his burns with makeup or even a shirt.

He sat down in the alleyway, trying to determine the depth of what he needed to do. He grimaced as he realized to replicate L's scar meant he probably had to go pretty deep.

Shrugging, he laid down and pulled a scalpel out of his pocket, biting down on the sleeve of his jacket as he sliced into his stomach and stifled a scream. This scar better stick around for a little while because he would not be happy if he had to keep doing this to fool everyone.

He supposed consciousness must have ebbed away at some point because when he came back to reality, the sun was shining directly in his eyes, and he had birds standing around him as though trying to figure out if he was dead or not.

"Not dead yet," he grumbled, sitting up and grateful to find only soreness. He lifted up his shirt, and sure enough, a scar near identical to L's was there.

Grateful to be wearing a dark red shirt already, he began to head back to headquarters to tell L about what he had discovered.

Then he paused as he thought about it. If he was going to switch places with L again, that meant being around Light Yagami a lot. Was it possible to seduce the boy in L's place, or would that horribly backfire? He weighed his chances and decided that yes, it would end badly if he tried that. Which meant Yagami probably needed to know what was going on.

Maybe that could be how he determined if Light was Kira or not, or at least if he had forgotten he was Kira. If he was willing to help L, that might also help L's chances of being open to love again. How was he going to convince Light to help him without threatening his life and getting past the whole "you crippled my arm" thing? That was going to certainly be a challenge. Not to mention he needed to convince L to switch places with him at all. Maybe he could talk to Watari about it, and Watari could do the convincing?

He decided he needed to come clean to L about this, and he went back to the headquarters nobody had moved into yet after the whole stabbing incident. There, he got to work once again looking exactly like L, which given his burns and needing to reapply hair dye, then practice mannerisms and such, took until nightfall to get back to the hotel. During that time, he also investigated to make sure he was right about Yotsuba being behind all of this.

He found L had just tucked in Adelina. He recoiled in disgust when he found Beyond in the living room as his clone and some clothes folded neatly in his hands.

"B, what the hell—"

"Listen, Sugar Cube, we have to act quickly," he spoke in a hushed whisper because he suspected Adelina had gotten up to listen in, "Yotsuba hired that guy to investigate you and Adelina. You're both in danger. You and I are going to switch, and you have to leave with her."

"And let you near the rest of the task force?" L snapped, "They already know about my scar and to check." Beyond lifted up his shirt in response, and L's eyes narrowed, his teeth bared, "You've been planning this for a while, haven't you?"

"Just since last night." He offered up some of his own clothes to L, "Get dressed and get out of here."

"I'm not risking the lives of my men and my friend."

"And I'm not risking the lives of you and our daughter!"

L was quiet, his lips pursed as he seemed to think about it, "I am ready to risk my life for this case."

"And do you want to do that to Adelina? Kira can't kill me, he's already tried, and I heal fast from injuries. Besides, I haven't been part of her life for long, and it's not like you want me in her life—"

"Don't talk like that." He crossed his arms and turned away, "Don't you get the position you're putting me in. If I let you go switch places, that means you'll be around Light. I don't want that."

"Don't worry, I plan to tell him what's going on." L turned back to him and glared, but Beyond cut him off, "I promise I will not hurt him. Besides, why do you care so much?"

"Because he's my friend and even I have enough standards to not knowingly put him with the same person who stabbed him!"

"Lawliet..." L froze at that. No nicknames anymore. "Please, let me protect you like I failed to do years ago. If you don't want Light to know who I am, I won't tell him. Nobody will know, you can leave and not look back, and I will handle everything."

"Light has a right to know..." L squeezed his eyes shut, "But I can't do this to him."

Beyond softened, reluctantly pulling L close, slow enough that L could run if he wanted to, "Do you want me to take her?"

"No! No..." he shook his head, mostly to himself, "But I need Watari here." He pulled away, biting his thumb as he thought about it, "If things get bad enough, I will let you do the switch. But right now, this information that Yotsuba is indeed investigating me means we can very easily arrest the person responsible... but would that make things worse? We have to determine if this person is Kira first before an arrest can be made, as it is likely from what we've already theorized this is more than one person, whether of their own will or otherwise. I'll put Wedy and Aiber on this immediately, and give Aiber something to do besides ex-sitting." He looked back at Beyond, "I'll think about it, now stop looking like me before I throw you out. I'm not doing this again."

Beyond chuckled a bit, "Whatever you say, Lawlipop."


End file.
